Mit Glenfarclas holst Du Dir einen wuchtigen, würzigen und Sherry getriebenen Whisky ins Glas. Seit Generationen in der Hand der Familie Grant ist Glenfarclas heute eine der letzten Destillerien in schottischer Hand. Du bekommst einen ehrlichen, ungefärbten Whisky - einen echten Oldschool Scotch!
About Laphroaig
What makes Laphroaig whisky so special? The single malt whisky of the Laphroaig Distillery is like no other. The self-ironic advertisement for Laphroaig once said "Your first glass may also be your last". A skilfully wink to its concise, smoky character.
The distillery with the whitewashed old stone buildings is situated in a picturesque bay on the legendary whisky island of Islay. Islay is known worldwide for its heavily smoky, peaty single malt whiskys. Laphroaig is an integral part of this reputation. In the immediate vicinity on the south coast are the equally famous Ardbeg and Lagavulin distilleries. If you visit the Laphroaig Distillery on Islay, you will be guided through their own malting floors and the kiln. There the malt for Laphroaig is smoked and gets its very special Laphroaig character.
Laphroaig's strong smoke flavours are described by some aficionados as medicinal. Maritime notes of seaweed, iodine, wet gravel and sea air resonate in Laphroaig whiskys. At the same time you will also find fresh citrus notes, sweet caramel and numerous fruit tones in the famous Islay malt. On the palate, Laphroaig is surprisingly soft and burns less than other representatives of its guild.
Fun fact about Laphroaig: During Prohibition in the US, Laphroaig was legal to sell. Because the stubborn Islay Malt was sold as medicine, "for medical purpose only".
What does Laphroaig mean? A literal translation of the word Laphroaig could be "Dollow at White Bay".
3 reasons to love Laphroaig
1) Because Laphroaig is everything but boring.
2) Because medicine can taste good after all.
3) Because the first glass should not be the last.
How does Laphroaig whisky taste?
Laphroaig has enjoyed collecting the aromatic descriptions of its customers. Hardly any whisky produces such unusual tasting notes as Laphroaig. To us, Laphroaig is simply Islay in a glass. The strong, slightly medicinal peat smoke mixes with notes of iodine and sea air. On the palate, Laphroaig then shows that the whisky can do much more than just smoke. Sweet malt, light fruits and an exciting combination of oak, driftwood and brine resonate in almost all Laphroaig bottlings. We think every whisky lover should try Laphroaig at least twice in their lifetime.
Here is a small excerpt of associations that were already made known when tasting Laphroaig: "like horse stables in winter", "tastes like a pharmacy", "like a burning cowshed", "remains of ashes in the glowing fireplace", gauze, iodine, Sea salt, hospital, wetsuit, campfire, freshly paved road on Islay... What are your first impressions?
How is Laphroaig Single Malt made?
Laphroaig single malt whisky is made at the same-named whisky distillery on the island of Islay. Islay is in the south-west of Scotland and can only be reached by ferry or plane. Much of Islay's small population works in one of the nine whisky distilleries. So it can happen that you meet the tour guide and distillery employee David in the evening in the pub, where he makes music.
Laphroaig is made from peated malt. The distillery obtains some of the smoky peat malt from the maltings in Port Ellen, and some it malts and smokes itself. Laphroaig is one of the few whisky distilleries in Scotland that still have their own active malting floors. Most whisky producers have given this complex production step to large industrial malthouses. However, it is important to Laphroaig to retain part of the special unique character. Staff swear Laphroaig whisky wouldn't be the same without its own kiln.
After the malt has been laid out on the malting floors to germinate and turned, it is dried in the kiln. The malt is smoked here over a peat fire for 12 to 15 hours. This is where the hand-cut Laphroaig peat comes into play. The peat is cut on the company's own peatbogs. So smoky whiskys are also called peated whiskys in Scotland. A heavily smoky whisky like Laphroaig is said to be heavily peated. The smoke content of whisky is given in ppm (phenol parts per million). Their own peated malt has a phenol content of 50-60ppm while Port Ellen's peat malt has a phenol content of 45ppm. Usually this is mixed and so an average of the Laphroaig smokiness of about 50 ppm is achieved.
The finished malt is ground in our own mill and further processed in the 5.5 ton mash tun, the Mash Tun (Full Lauter). Here the sugar is removed from the malt grist. Several batches of hot water ensure that the sugar dissolves in the hot water. The sweet liquid from this process is called 'wort' in Scotland, and wort in ours. It continues to ferment for at least 53 hours. At Laphroaig, this takes place in six stainless steel washbacks.
After the wash has finished fermenting, it goes on to the distillation. Laphroaig's Still House looks almost like a large organ. Laphoraig's copper pot stills line up neatly. They vary in size and shape. Laphroaig uses a complicated but very successful distillation method. Laphroaig's spirit is surprisingly smooth. There are three wash stills, three spirit stills and another larger spirit still. The lyne arms of the pot stills are tilted upwards, allowing heavy components to fall back. This increases the copper contact of the alcohol vapor, which is said to contribute to the smooth character of Laphroaig New Makes.
Laphroaig Single Malt is matured primarily in ex-Bourbon casks. Ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads make up the bulk of Laphroaig's cask inventory. The medicinal-phenolic character of the Islay distillery unfolds well in American white oak casks. Sherry casks are also used from time to time, as with the Laphroaig PX Cask, Laphroaig Lore and the Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak. A trademark of Laphroaig is the bottling in the rather unusual increased drinking strength of 48% vol. The bottlings with this alcohol strength are not chill-filtered (non-chill-filtered), so they have a greater depth of aroma than the variants with 40% vol.
The history of Laphroaig
Laphroaig Distillery was founded in 1815 by brothers Alexander and Donald Johnston. They were the sons of a certain John Johnston, who is considered the founding father of the neighboring Lagavulin distillery. From 1837 to 1868 there was another distillery on the current distillery site: The Ardenistiel Distillery, also known as Kildalton Distillery or Islay Distillery.
Thanks to the island laird Walker Frederick Campbell, Islay soon became a whisky paradise. Even before many whisky distilleries were officially established, the island was notorious for its excellent moonshine (illicit liquor and whisky). In the early 20th century, Laphroaig's rise to fame began with Donald Johnston's grandson, Ian Hunter.
Donald died in a tragic accident in 1847. He fell into a vat of boiling pot ale. Under Ian Hunter's direction, Laphroaig was sold as a single malt whisky from the 1920s. In 1924 the number of pot stills was increased from two to four. When Ian Hunter died in 1954, he surprised the whisky world one last time. He left the successful Islay distillery to his secretary, Bessie Williamson. Bessie used to run the distillery when Hunter was away on his long business trips.
The once large American spirits company Schenley bought into the distillery in the 1960s. In 1967 Laphroaig was bought outright by Bessie Williamson. Bessie retired in 1972. The number of pot stills has been increased to the current level of 7. In 1994, Prince Charles awarded Laphroaig the Royal Warrant, a special award from the British Crown. As the favorite whisky of the Prince of Wales, Laphroaig became the official and privileged purveyor to the English royal family. That same year, Distillery Manager Iain Henderson founded the Friends of Laphroaig, a modern club for Laphroaig lovers.
After several changes of ownership, Laphroaig was finally bought by Jim Beam of Allied Distillers in 2005. In 2014, Jim Beam merged with the Japanese beverage company Suntory to form Beam Suntory. So today the Islay distillery Bowmore is a sibling distillery of Laphroaig.
Recommendations in the Laphroaig range
Basically, we can recommend the entire Laphroaig range.
The Laphroaig 10 year old is the flagship of the Islay distillery and a perfect introduction to the range. With a mild 40% vol. and around 10 years of age, the Laphroaig 10 years offers you a great experience. The peat smoke is complemented here with liquorice and sea spray. Typical iodine, delicate oak, light fruits and black pepper await you on the palate.
The Laphroaig Select is the budget variant of the Islay distillery and is also suitable for beginners. Even bottled at 40% vol., however, it lacks an age statement compared to the 10-year-old. In a direct comparison, we would probably go for the Laphroaig 10 years old, but tastes are known to differ ;).
A great recommendation and alternative to the Laphroaig 10 year old is the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. This Laphroaig variant was finished in smaller casks, the quarter casks. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask has added an extra portion of toffee and vanilla favours. The increased drinking strength of 48% vol. also gives it more depth. The phenolic peat smoke mixes with rum sweetness and cigar box. Simply delicious and great value for money!
Facts & Figures about Laphroaig
Address: Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DU
Founded: 1815 by Donald and Alex Johnston
Region: Islay Whisky
Owner: Beam Suntory
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Smoke: heavily smoky/peaty, heavily peated
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 3,000,000 liters per year
Stills: 3 wash stills (10,910 l)
4 spirit stills (3 x 3,630, 1 x 7,270 l)
Washbacks: 6, stainless steel
Water: Kilbride Dam
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1496 / 302418
Website: www.laphroaig.com
Directions to the Laphroaig Distillery
Bildnachweis/ Bildquelle: Leon Schuster Malt Mariners
Fancy a portion of smoke and sherry? Then you have the choice between the Laphroaig PX Sherry and the Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish. The Laphroaig PX Cask is a generous variant for travel retail in the 1 liter bottle. The maturation in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks gives it great fruit notes, marzipan and dark chocolate. The Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish, on the other hand, has an age indication of 10 years and was finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. Barbecue aromas, bacon and maple syrup as well as spicy forest honey come out of the glass. Both bottlings have an aromatic vol. of 48% and are a recommendation. It's best to just compare directly.
The Laphroaig Four Oak is the travel retail equivalent of the Laphroaig PX without the sherry cask aging. The Laphroaig Four Oak also comes in a 1 liter bottle with a mild 40% vol. It is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and European oak hogsheads. These barrels clearly emphasize the light fruity and maritime-smoky character of Laphroaig. In a direct comparison, we would probably go for the Laphroaig Quarter Cask with 48% vol.
The Laphroaig Lore was presented a few years ago as "THE" Laphroaig, which combines all the properties of the other bottlings. It is referred to as "The richest of the rich". And in fact it seems to us that the Laphroaig Lore is this the skilful composition of different cask types such as quarter casks, hogsheads, ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks make this Laphroaig special. Jim Murray named the Laphroaig Lore in his whisky Bible 2019 the best whisky in the category single malt Scotch whisky without age statement.
The annual Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength bottlings are always worth buying. The Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength is bottled in batches and at strong cask strength. These are the Laphroaigs for the aficionado and whisky connoisseur. With volume percentages above the 55% mark, unvarnished, brute aromas come into your glass. Each batch is individual as the cask composition varies. You absolutely have to try it!
