After the Kavalan, here’s another bottling for TastToe, this time a joint bottling with Drankenshop Broekmans, both shops related to The Nectar. It’s a Laphroaig 1998 from the Signatory stocks.
Laphroaig 15 yo 1998
(57,4%, Signatory Vintage for TastToe & Broekmans 2013, hogshead #5570, 300 btl.)
Laphroaig 15 yo 1998Nose: this nose achieves a very nice balance between peatiness, coastalness and roundness. It’s very warm, with soot and ambering ashes. A little vanilla, camhor, honey, hot sand… A little candy sugar and marzipan as well. Hints of leather. Round, complex, just excellent.
Mouth: slightly hot, but very impressive again. Deep peat, sweet lemon and honey, hints of pears, limoncello… Great ashy notes, a bit of chocolate, liquorice. Medicinal notes. Marzipan again. Vanilla latte.
Finish: long, rounded yet powerful.
Laphroaig is good anyway, but this one strikes the right chord. It’s firm and heavily peated but also candied and complex. They did a nice job selecting their bottlings at TastToe. Around € 120.
Score: 90/100