Laphroaig teamed up with actor Willem Dafoe to create a limited edition bottling, nicknamed “Willem by Willem”. The Laphroaig Willem Dafoe Edition is accompanied with a short film ‘The Taste’ – it can be seen on Youtube.
I’m not the biggest fan of celebrity collabs when it comes to whisky. It seems Dafoe (who had a Scottish grandmother) never really outed himself as a whisky enthusiast until now. Can we really believe he was actually involved in the selection? Lagavulin had Nick Offerman, so Laphroaig went looking for someone similar, right?
We’re willing to approach it with an open mind though. For what it’s worth: I like the packaging. The whisky was matured in classic American oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks.
Laphroaig 14 yo – Willem Dafoe Edition (53,7%, OB 2026, Oloroso sherry cask finish)
Nose: classic Laphroaig, with tarry smoke, hints of sea spray and a little iodine. Of course the Oloroso adds chocolate and red berries on top of this, along with blackberries, caramel and a hint of sweet barbecue sauce. Light menthol and dried seaweed. Good balance between the sweet dried fruits and the slightly floral / medicinal hints.
Mouth: not as thick as I expected. It focuses on peppery notes, peat smoke and leather. There’s also a hint of brown sugar but it isn’t as robust as I’d like. Later also coffee candy, a hint of honey-glazed meat and hints of wet ashtrays. Then light figs and roasted peanuts.
Finish: quite long, with dark fruit jams, caramel, campfire smoke and a subtle umami note.
A little on the sweet side thanks to the sherry, while leaving room for the Islay character. Regardless of the collab, this is a good Laphroaig. Just a little more texture would have made it outstanding. Initially launched via a ballot on Laphroaig’s website, it was subsequently rolled out to retailers. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt for instance.