Islay malt

New Laphroaig Triple Wood Adds Sherry Finishing

Filed under: Spirits

There is so much sherry wood finishing going on in whiskey circles these days, it's a wonder that there are enough barrels to go around. And just when I thought I might be wearying of the trend, Laphroaig comes out with Triple Wood.

This Islay expression is Laphroaig Quarter-Cask that has been finished in Oloroso sherry casks. The effect is to take the already beautifully peaty Laphroaig and dial in some cherries and black currants. This could have been a bad result. But it turned out wonderful, with the fruit accenting and dancing at the edges of the peat bog, not getting overly involved in the smoke and charcoal that makes Laphroaig Laphroaig.

The price of $100 seems dead on right for this premium single-malt expression. The only bad news is that it will head into travel retail and the finer whiskey shops in Europe, and is not yet scheduled or U.S. retailers. This is one of those that is well worth dragging home from the airport.

Tags: Islay malt, Laphroaig, Laphroaig Quarter-Cask, Laphroaig Triple Wood, Single-Malt Scotch Whiskey, Single-malt whisky, whiskey, whisky

Bowmore 40-Year Old and 1981 Vintage Released

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Scottish Islay distillery Bowmore has launched two outstanding limited edition whisky expressions - Bowmore 40 Years Old and the Bowmore 1981.

Bowmore distillery is located on the western Scottish Island of Islay. It was founded in 1779 by John Simpson, making it the oldest of the eight distilleries on the island and one of the oldest in Scotland.

The new 1981 has been bottled at 49.6% ABV and will retail at approximately £270 each. There are only 402 bottles and it has been maturing in ex-bourbon casks for 29 years. The color of the Bowmore 1981 is light for its age, with a golden color bordering on yellow. Strong vanilla, honey and floral notes here, with a hint of the iodine common among Islay malts.

For the 40-year old, which sells for £6500, each bottle (there are just 53) is individual and made of hand blown crystal glass adorned with images of rocks from Islay and sitting on a thick plinth of Islay slate. The whisky has been aged in a single carefully selected ex-bourbon cask and has been bottled at 44.8% ABV. The color of the 40 is dark amber, and the dominant taste notes are butterscotch, raisins, dates and prunes and a trace of banana. There is hint of peat.

Tags: Bowmore, Bowmore 1981, Bowmore 40-year old, Islay malt, single malt, whisky