We’re excited to tell you about our first ever single barrel of Laphroaig, direct from the distillery. It’s not just our first single barrel, it’s one of the first single barrels the iconic Islay producer has ever bottled for private retail. Rather than aging on the Scottish mainland in the warehouse of an independent bottler, this single cask of Laphroaig was distilled in 2013 and aged at the distillery for the entirety of its maturation.
This particular barrel came directly from warehouse 1 - the warehouse you see in images right next to the coast with the name Laphroaig in black paint. It’s no accident that Laphroaig’s Cairdeas release was also called “Warehouse 1” after we insisted on this as part of our barrel selection (and we selected our barrel many months before the Cairdeas was released or even advertised).
For those who like their iodine and Islay salinity, this is the one of the most maritime-influenced Laphroaig barrels we’ve ever tasted. Considering it was aged entirely next to the sea, that makes sense. It’s peaty, briney, salty, medicinal, and you can almost make out the kelp! There is indeed some vanilla from the oak and a sweeter malt character at play, but this experience is all about the terroir. If Laphroaig is going to charge us more for a single barrel aged in its famed 1 warehouse, matured next to the sea, then it had better damn taste like it! And it does.
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First-fill ex-Bourbon barrel
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Distilled in 2013, bottled in 2022
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Matured entirely in Warehouse 1
- Cask No 0896
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54.1% ABV
- Only 254 bottles
Even with the 108.2 proof heat, the intensity and complexity of the whisky itself is far more intense than the alcohol. There’s a lot to unpack in Laphroaig’s first single barrel experience and if there’s one thing we can promise you, it’s this: you won’t ever be bored drinking this whisky.
