Laphroaig 30 going away, any others?

[NorCalBoozer]

I'm a newbie SMSW guy and really like Islay malts.

I like Laphroaig and recently was quite alarmed when reading that the 30 yr is going away to be replaced with a 25 year and the 15 is going to become something like a 17 year.

I've never tasted the 30 but always held off due to the cost. Anyways the thought of never tasting it gave me a good enough reason to pull the trigger on a Laphroaig 30.

Are there any other Islay malt iterations going away/changing in the near future that I should try to get now why i still can?

Greg

[doubleblank]

That's interesting Greg. Simon Brooking, Laphroaig's Master Ambassador, was recently in Houston and didn't mention it was disappearing. He did mention the price was going to triple from around $200 to $600. Maybe that was a way of saying it's in the process of disappearing.

Randy

[NorCalBoozer]

Randy, yes that is what i am gathering. It seems that there was enough supply of the 30 in the USA for 2008 but that it would then be replaced.

It would make sense that as inventory dwindles, prices increase. It seems that the popularity we see in the US with bourbon is also happening overseas as SMSW is gaining in popularity and older versions are being replaced with newer, less aged products.

I'm sure others here are much more knowledgeable and educated about it than I.



anyway here is a quote that i got from another site. I can't verify it's accuracy:


The only reference I have seen is this excerpt from John Hansell at Malt Advocate back in September '07:


"As for Laphroaig in the US, 15 yo will be replaced by an 18 yo in July/August 2008 and 30 yo will be replaced by a 25 yo (which was partly aged in Oloroso Sherry casks) in late 2008.”

[TBoner]

Ardbeg 10 isn't going away, but the "new" distillate should be bottled and in stores sometime soon. The flavor profile may change some at that point.

I had heard the same thing about Laph 25 replacing the 30yo. I've had a tiny sip of the 30, at a tasting Simon hosted. Damn fine whisky, but I prefer the youthful bite of the 10yo to any older bottlings I've tasted, including the 15yo.

[ThomasH]

Some of the brands are also dropping in proof. My last bottle of Laphroig 10 was 90 proof. The bottle I purchased today was only 86 proof. I guess bourbon isn't the only thing going up in price while dropping in age and proof!

Thomas

[drunkenjayhawk]

Yeah sadly that is true, less proof for more $$. Blame it on popularity I would guess. I am sure it will cycle around in another 15-20 years prices may drop (maybe) if its not the in-drink it seems to be now. But I personally think that until the distilleries can catch up with demand we are only really seeing the begining.

[Stu]

Being a devout Laphroaig fan, I had to spring for a bottle. I was somewhat disappointed because all of the Laphroaig characteristics were gone or at least diluted. It was a delightful dram, but just wasn't Laphroaig. This is the story I got from the distillery manager. Laphroaig is put in bourbon barrels. Like all distilleries, they'll sell new make to anyone who can afford it. A long time ago, a man bought some Laphroaig and put it in sherry barrels. 30 years later, the man died. Laphroaig bought the barrels from the estate. Therefore when this batch is gone, it's gone forever. The 25 year old supposedly will be partially aged in sherry casks, i.e. what most distilleries call a sherry finish.

Personally I'll stick to the 10 and an occasional 15. My two regrets are that I never got to taste the 40 year old, but I couldn't justify $2,000 for a bottle of whisky, and that they've dumbed down Laphroaig. The Laphroaig of today is not the Laphroaig of the 1970s and 80s. There is not near as much iodine and seaweed in today's Laphroaig. I'm sure they did it to appeal to more people, but it's a disappointment to long time fans who liked the "medicinal" taste.

[NorCalBoozer]

great post. I am pretty new to Laphroaig so i don't know much of the history. I also like the medicinal flavor of strong Islays.

I did just happen to try the 30 y.o. that i recently purchased. My first impressions were that it was quite mild as you state. It was fuller too, but probably more towards the sherry influence because the smoke/peat/iodine was not as strong as i would have hoped.

I certainly though it was quite different than the Signatory unchill filtered 7 y.o. Laphroaig that i have. I really like this bottle.

I am glad to know that this tameness seem to be due to the casking and not typical of a longer aged Islay?

My range of Islays that i own right now are basically Ardbeg and Laphroaig.

I was heading towards Laguvulin next. Any other strong Islays that you would recommend?

Thanks! Greg

Being a devout Laphroaig fan, I had to spring for a bottle. I was somewhat disappointed because all of the Laphroaig characteristics were gone or at least diluted. It was a delightful dram, but just wasn't Laphroaig. This is the story I got from the distillery manager. Laphroaig is put in bourbon barrels. Like all distilleries, they'll sell new make to anyone who can afford it. A long time ago, a man bought some Laphroaig and put it in sherry barrels. 30 years later, the man died. Laphroaig bought the barrels from the estate. Therefore when this batch is gone, it's gone forever. The 25 year old supposedly will be partially aged in sherry casks, i.e. what most distilleries call a sherry finish.

Personally I'll stick to the 10 and an occasional 15. My two regrets are that I never got to taste the 40 year old, but I couldn't justify $2,000 for a bottle of whisky, and that they've dumbed down Laphroaig. The Laphroaig of today is not the Laphroaig of the 1970s and 80s. There is not near as much iodine and seaweed in today's Laphroaig. I'm sure they did it to appeal to more people, but it's a disappointment to long time fans who liked the "medicinal" taste.

[AVB]

The Laphroaig 30 is really an odd duck in that Laphroaig wasn't going to release it. The stock (I want to say 200 casks but I don't remember where that number came from) was bought ages ago by a private individual who had it transfered into sherry casks for aging instead of the bourbon casks normally used. Well, after about 25 years on he died and Laphroaig decided to by the stock back. Since they really didn't have a large stock of near 30 yo whiskey they held on to it for a bit and then released it in 3 versions. One had no packaging, one had a tube packaging and one had a wood box. The price was about $100 difference from no packaging to the wood box, something I couldn't justify at the time so all mine are sans packaging.

You can still find it for about $230-240 which is up $40 from just two years ago.

The new Laphroaig 25 is along the classic Laphroaig line and is a much more "in your face" dram then the 30. Think Quarter Cask with the edges smoothed out and a bit sweeter. The 40 isn't as good as the 25 IMO but then I've only had one glass of it

I see that Stu posted about the same thing. Teach me to get called away in the middle of a post.

[Stu]

My range of Islays that i own right now are basically Ardbeg and Laphroaig.

I was heading towards Laguvulin next. Any other strong Islays that you would recommend?

Thanks! Greg

I think Lagavulin would be an excellent choice. It does not have as much peat as Ardbeg, nor does it have the medicinal qualities of Laphroaig, However it has a smokiness that puts it in a class by itself. Also try Caol Ila. There is an inexpensive proprietary brand called Finlaggen that I get at Trader Joe's when I visit my in laws in Santa Fe. It's not available everywhere. I'd be willing to bet it's a 5 to 7 year old Caol Ila. Caol Ila has a 12 and an 18, they are both good. Try them both because there's usually not that much difference in price. Caol Ila has a lot of peat and IMO it's the saltiest whisky. The next peatiest Islay is Bowmore, but I think it tastes more like a Campbeltown than an Islay (for a good Campbeltown try Glen Scotia 14 or 17). It's made on Skye, not Islay, but Talisker fits in with the Islay whiskys. I like it when I want a hot spicy flavor. The regular Talisker 10 should tell you whether you will like Talisker, If you do, try some of their other expressions. I'll bet you really like EC 18, am I right? A lot of people on this site don't, but most Islay lovers do. Hope this helps.

Stu