Laphroaig 18yo (revisited)...

Laphroaig 18yo (48.0%): It's been nearly three years since I reviewed Laphroaig 18. Last week I uncorked a new bottle at home and when I started to nose it and nose it and nose it and nose it......... You get the picture: I got lost again, very bad. And right after I felt like I should revisit this beautiful dram on tire-bouchon. Any reason to make me spend more time with it... I am actually also curious to see how my notes will differ from last time.. Color: Bright and rich, polished yellow gold. Nose: Lovely Laphroaig nose: Early morning barefoot seaside walk, brand new rubber rain boots, iodine tincture and band aids. If you ever owned a small boat equipped with an outboard motor (9.9 hp) you would immediately know what I am talking about: Your hands would smell exactly like this after you connect your gas tank and use the starter rope to start the engine early in the morning. Kippers, seaweed, wet hemp rope and anise seeds. A few drops of water add lemon juice, banana cream pie and kumquat jam. Palate: Peat is less medicinal more smoky on the palate. Tar, barbecue ash and dark chocolate cacao nibs. Lightly roasted coffee beans and sweet lemon custard. Adding water makes it even mellower and sweeter: Wild flower honey and creamy vanilla pudding. Finish: Long and chalky. Soot, crystallized ginger and charcoal. Overall: I have a feeling that this dram gets better and better in time... It's very hard to say whether the whisky or my palate changed in years but when I check my earlier review I can see that it seems to be slightly less sweet and more phenolic on the palate and lighter in color... Anyway, like I said it is a fantastic whisky. It might be not your everyday dram and need your time and attention when you pour a glass for yourself at home but it sure feels awesome to have a bottle in the whisky cabinet. Many thanks to Simon Brooking for the sample by the way...

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