Laphroaig

Laphroaig (pronounced "la-FROYG", or ^* ) is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery situated on the island of Islay off the West coast of Scotland.

History

The Laphroaig distillery (the name means "the beautiful hollow by the broad bay") was established in 1815, by Alex and Donald Johnston. The 'Johnston' brothers were actually McCabes, of the Clan Donald, who changed their names following the failed Jacobite uprising, and settled on the Isle of Islay.

Their descendants ran the distillery until 1887, when it passed to the Hunter family. They in turn ran the distillery until 1954, when Ian Hunter (who had no children) died and left the distilley to one of his managers, Bessie Williamson.

The distillery was sold to Long John International in the 1960's, and subsequently became part of Allied Domecq . The brand was in turn acquired by Fortune Brands in 2005, as one of the brands divested by Pernod Ricard in order to obtain regulatory approval for its takeover of Allied Domecq.

Trivia

Since 1994 Laphroaig has been the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales (the 15-year-old is reportedly his favourite scotch whisky), which was awarded in person during a visit to the distillery.
As of 2005, the standard 10 year old bottling was reduced in percentage from 43% to the worldwide standard of 40%.

Taste

Laphroaig is considered one of the most strongly flavoured of all scotch whiskies, and is generally aged to 10 years, although the 15 year old variety is not uncommon (the 30 and 40 year olds, however, are). Some people find that a drop of water enhances the peaty aroma of this whisky.

In an attempt to re-create the taste of historic whiskies, Laphroaig carried out experiments. Recently the Laphroaig Quarter Cask has been introduced. By using smaller casks and by avoiding chill-filtering, the Quarter Cask Single Malt is supposed to taste like whisky which was distilled 100 years ago.

Tasting notes

Laphroaigs strong phenolic and peaty overtones have been likened to "bottled smoke", seaweed or even TCP or Chloraseptic. However, those who like it are likely to consider it to be a favourite.

Proprietary Bottlings

Standard (Retail) Expressions

10 Year old
10 Year old - cask strength
Quarter Cask
15 Year old
30 Year old
40 Year old

Special Expressions

A variety of special expressions have been produced for the annual Islay Festival:

2006 12 Year old

Friends of Laphroaig

In 1994 the Friends of Laphroaig Club was established, members of which are granted a lifetime lease of one square foot (<0.1 m²) of land on the island of Islay. The annual rent is a dram of Laphroaig which can be obtained upon visiting the distillery.

References

External links

Laphroaig official website

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