From time to time the little whisky geek echo chamber that I sit in gets its collective metaphorical panties in virtual bunch. The most recent bunch-incident happened this past weekend with the launch of Laphroaig Select, the latest entry in the distillery’s ongoing line-up. Like a good little whisky geek, I got caught up with the crowd, but have spent the last few days considering my opinion. While I initially tried it within hours of the announcement of its existence was made public, a couple of days of thought have changed my mind considerably about the whisky.
So, what is it? It’s the new entry level Laphroaig, with its RRP of £34.99 coming in just under the 10 year old’s. Combining the information from the press release and Friends of Laphroaig announcement email, it has a core of new American oak matured whisky which has been vatted with a little bit of almost everything else that Laphroaig have in their portfolio – Quarter Cask, Triple Wood, PX and 10 year old. It sounds like a simultaneously pepped up and smoothed out version of the Travel Retail exclusive QA Cask, itself a new oak finished version of Quarter Cask.
While we heard about it at work a little while back, I didn’t get to try it until the Whisky Lounge London Weekender, which happily coincided with the launch. I was working at the show but popped down before my shift to have a taste:
Nose: Punchy medicinal and mineral notes on the nose – muddy peat, rockpools and sea spray. Behind that there is sweetness, with chocolate milk and cornflake touches, as well as sherbert lemons and a gentle touch of wood smoke.
Palate: Soft and surprisingly light on the palate, with gingery spice, vanilla, sour apple and char backed up by nutmeg, cinnamon and a little dried fruit. The peat from the nose is subdued, with a soft and syrupy pine note coming through.
Finish: Spicy new oak, sour apple and a touch of damp wood. As that fades the traditional medicinal notes appear and linger for a short while.
Those tasting notes have gone through several iterations, as when I first tried it I was incredibly disappointed – this was sub-QA level Laphroaig, a dram I described as ‘quaffing whisky’. It was definitely not what I look for in a Laphroaig. Speaking to some of the other geeks present, we all agreed and fell into a self-perpetuating spiral of dislike. On Monday, after some agonising on Facebook on Sunday night, Serge Valentin separately posted his review on WhiskyFun, the whisky geek gospel: 70pts, with a comment that it was “A poor little thing, the kind that could make me want to quit whisky”. Laphroaig Select’s fate was set amongst the little bit of the whisky world that I inhabit.
However, m’colleague Ollie, having heard me rant about the Select, handed me a random glass to try after work the other day, as he often does (being the product development guy), and asked me what I thought. I said that the nose was nice but the body fell down by being too light. It was, of course, the Select, and tasted blind was not worthy of a 70pt drubbing.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I find this whisky worrying. It’s very much Laphroaig-lite, even more so than the QA. My assumption is that they are trying to bring in more new drinkers and as such are trying to tone down some of Laphroaig’s traditional love-it-or-hate-it character to make it more approachable. I hope I’m wrong, as I don’t think it’s worked: the nose is as medicinal as ever, albeit less smoky, which may still put off the potential newbies, while the body is toned down and soft enough that while the newbs might like it, if they can get past the nose, the old skool Laphroaig geeks (as represented by the folks who have posted online about it so far) won’t. It also mixes and matches the geek’s pet peeves and loves: it has no age statement, is 40% and probably chill-filtered (it doesn’t say it isn’t), while also being naturally coloured – the easiest to solve of the four ills of the whisky world without impacting the non-geek market.
However, while I’m not a fan, it’s not an actively bad whisky, it’s just really not for me. It’s a toned down Laphroaig positioned at the entry level of the range. The reaction from the non-geeks has been broadly positive, or at least not negative. It is what it is: a relatively inexpensive new entry into the range.
The only real issue I see, and probably a big reason as to why it exists, is that its price point sits very close to the 10 year old. If the price of that stalwart goes up, then it will push the rest of the range up with it. Whisky is getting more expensive, especially spirit from Islay, so it’s expected, but we don’t have to enjoy it.
Now to sit back and await the launch of the 2014 Cairdeas next week – “double matured Laphroaig from bourbon barrels and Amontillado seasoned traditional hogsheads”. Fortunately I’ll be on Islay for Feis Ile, so will hopefully be able to try before I inevitably buy.
As ever, thanks to Sku for searching the COLAs, so that we don’t have to, and m’former colleague Tim for being a voice of reason when I told him that I hated it – he was, as usual, right.
Laphroaig Select
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 40%. RRP £34.99
Please tell me that this is going to be sold *in addition to* the 10 year old and isn’t replacing it in their range. No, I’ve not tried it, but I do love the 10 and would hate to see it disappear.
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As far as I know it’s in addition – they would be foolish to discontinue the 10yo. Expect the price of the 10 to go up, though.
Well well. the voice of reason 😉
I have to taste it myself now 😉
will do just that next week hopefully.
what i didn’t no is that there is a 13 yr old out there ,I haven’t seen many of them
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Mark: That sounds like the Brodir – it was a limited edition (2000 bottles?) only sold on Viking Line ferries in Scandawegia and it sold out rather quickly. It was quite nice 🙂
Nice review, Billy.
The only recent release Laphroaig’s I’ve really enjoyed have been the PX Cask and the Cuan Mor. The former being a lovely sweet sherried surprise that demands multiple pours, and the latter seems like a true stable member with traditional family personality. Both worth drinking IMO.
The QA Cask was given away after just 2 separate tastings – I was so surprised that they would release such a runt in their litter.
I do have the Select bottling, but haven’t opened it yet. And given its low ABV (compared to all other ‘Froig’s, bar the QA), and the negative reviews, I will wait a bit longer.
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It’s along the same lines as the QA, but with a bit more new oak and a bit less spikiness, and the QA didn’t have much spike. I can see what they’re doing and I hope it works for them, but am not sure it will.
They’ll have 2 core categories – NAS and aged, right?
With NAS squeezing the cost of aged up as the NAS becomes the more prevalent set of expressions and appealing to a wider dram-demographic.
Or am I off track here?
Sounds about right. People who care about age statements will either pay a bit more, move on to the NAS or switch brands (less likely with Laphroaig, as it’s quite distinctive). People who don’t will have a (hopefully) wider range of flavour profiles to choose between, which will mean that the whisky should appeal to more people.
It all makes sense, I suppose, and I hope it works. We’ll see…
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I think it sucks. Getting people into peat by serving this weak shit won’t work. If people are going to be own over by peat it will be through some epiphany when trying something special. Diluting it? No.
Laphroaig’s Blasda moment?
Hello and a kindly good-day to you all. I just bought a bottle of this Laphroaig ‘Select’ a few days ago from a local supermarket thinking I was buying a bottle of the 10 year old. (didn’t have me glasses on, bad mistake).
Later on that evening upon uncorking the bottle and pouring myself a large double expecting the wonderful Laphroaig 10 year old aroma; as glass in hand, held momentarily close to nose for the usual stimulating inhalation prior to drinking, I realized that something was seriously wrong.
Then I tasted it, watery and insipid no lingering smoky/peaty taste whatsoever.
It’s a complete fraud, same packaging and same price as the 10 year old, I cannot believe that Laphroaig are marketing this ‘Select’ as one of there Islay Single Malts, it’s disgraceful, it’s going into my overly brewed Tea right now.
I feel somewhat cheated having paid good money for such a poor quality Single Malt. I wonder if I can get my money back on the grounds that it’s ‘Not Fit for Purpose’, after all, the reason for my buying it was to get pleasure and enjoyment from the drinking of it.
Cheers
Ray
When I first tried it I had a similar reaction, but having spoken to people who aren’t usually Laphroaig fans, it does have lots of people who like it. It’s a good place to start when dragging people into the Laphroaig Appreciation Society, but it’s maybe not for hardened afficionados. As ever with this kind of thing, always check you’re buying what you think you are, especially in these days of oft-changing packaging.
I bought 2 bottles because I love Laphroaig and it was reduced by £10 per bottle. Hugely disappointed not up to the brand standard. Wish I hadn’t bothered.
There’s a lot of difference between “the brand standard” and “what I like” – this is not a whisky for Laphroaig fans, but has acted as a gateway for lots of drinkers since it appeared. It’s also taken some of the pressure off stocks of the ten year old as Laphroaig has got more popular: those who are coming to the distillery new are increasingly grabbing the Select, ensuring that the 10 year old isn’t skyrocketing in price in the way it could.
That said, I’ve still not got a bottle of Select 🙂
At my local cash and carry, it is described as “unaged” (presumably meaning only the legal minimum aging time), and the wholesale price is 18.99+VAT £8 per bottle lower than the 10 year old. If that difference were reflected in the retail price Select might be placed where it belongs, in competiion with own label supermarket Islays.
Laphroaig can’t let the Select compete with the own-brands – they need it to be seen to be premium or risk cheapening their whole range. Select does sit at the bottom of the official price range with a decent gap between it and the 10yo, but unfortunately the 10 is almost always on offer, pushing it below or close to Select in price. Add to that the margins that shops often put on Select, using the Laphroaig name to make a few more quid, and it still sits in a strange limbo. However, my anecdotal evidence from speaking to people at whisky shows and in shops, is that outside of the Laphroaig fans and whisky geeks, it’s still going down very well.