I've tasted some impressive bottlings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) over the years, and while major milestones like a 22-year old refill sherry cask Karuizawa (reviewed here) and a peated BBQ-sauce like Glen Scotia are memorable, there's really only one that sticks out in my mind: 33.133, an outstanding second-fill sherry cask Ardbeg that I tasted and reviewed over four years ago. Since then, and this is partly due to the lack of an active SMWS 'partner bar' here in Brisbane, I haven't stumbled across many memorable examples. That's not to say that they haven't been out there of course, they just haven't passed under my nose! But this particular dram shows all the hallmarks of being another very memorable single cask bottling. Because this is a single cask 18-year old Laphroaig, fully-matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel, and bottled at cask strength without chill filtration or added colouring. That's virtually every box ticked on most Islay fan's wishlists. That refill ex-bourbon barrel is particularly eyebrow-raising, because the vast majority of Laphroaig's official bottlings spend most of their time in first-fill ex-Maker's Mark bourbon barrels. So this one being a refill bourbon cask promises to show more of the distillery character, but with the added point of interest of it being aged for eighteen years prior to bottling. The distillery's official bottling of 18-year old was discontinued years ago, but while a tasty dram it was bottled at 48% and was matured in first-fill bourbon casks, so this promises to be a different kettle of fish, and I don't expect that there'll be any valid comparison between the two.
I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of the SMWS distillery code system, where the first number represents the distillery (29 in this case) and the second represents the number of casks that the Society has bottled from that distillery - 143 in this case, meaning that this was the 143rd bottling of Laphroaig that the SMWS has released. I understand the basic principle behind it, since back in the day many distilleries would not allow the distillery name to appear on independent bottlings, but only a handful still feel that way. The SMWSs' - and quite a few other independent single cask bottlers' - way of thinking is that they don't want you to judge a whisky by what you usually expect from the distillery, since most of their products are single cask bottlings which naturally can vary widely and which may not follow that usual style, so they want to avoid direct comparisons and presumptive judgement by avoiding the outright naming of the distillery. Personally though I find it more fascinating if a bottling from a certain distillery is so different from the norm, compared to that distillery's official bottlings, and I'll often enjoy the challenge of trying to discern why it's so different to the typical profile. But such information is only a quick Google away, and if you're like most of us whisky geeks you'll probably end up remembering the distillery codes that are closest to your heart - which I suppose defeats the purpose of the codes in the first place!
An independent bottling of Laphroaig isn't a particularly common thing, although there now seem to be a growing number of thinly-veiled 'secret distillery' bottlings coming from more obscure independent bottlers - many possibly coming from privately owned casks - that are rumoured to be Laphroaig. The good independent bottlers will fill holes that the distillery doesn't (or can't) fill itself, whether that means bottling at cask strength, or without chill filtration or added colouring, or all three, or maturing in a different or exotic cask type, or bottling single casks rather than large batches. And in this case, all the above! As mentioned above, a refill cask-matured Laphroaig isn't something that the distillery does very often for its official bottlings, unless they're going to then use a finishing cask of another type before bottling. But from the few examples that I've tasted to date, they can be fantastic, letting that medicinal, salty & peaty powerful spirit shine - especially when served up unadulterated and at cask strength. This particular example, SMWS 29.143 was actually bottled way back in 2013, so obviously all 226 bottles from this single barrel are long sold out, and the sample for this review came from a fellow whisky nerd who picked one up from a European auction site.
The SMWS name for this bottling is a little less extravagant than some, and if I'm not mistaken it's also a typo - 'Finish Tar Syrup', which actually should be 'Finnish Tar Syrup', as in coming from Finland. Those slightly mad Fins use the edible type of tar (not the road-making type) for a number of different things, including medicinal tonics, or like in this case, as flavouring for food - even including ice cream. It's actually made from the sap & resin collected from burning pine trees, and is said to have a smoky, strongly tarry flavour. No wonder that Scandinavia goes bonkers for Laphroaig and Islay in general, then! Did this little typo make this bottling more collectable, back when it was available? Hopefully even the most die-hard collectors haven't gone to those extreme lows just yet. Let's just let the whisky do the rest of the talking, shall we?
Distilled April 1995, fully matured in a single refill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled 2013. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 226 bottles. And 'Finish' should be 'Finnish'.
Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Well it's certainly Laphroaig, but it's also warm, soft & inviting. Yes, it's tarry, and herbal too. Smoked oily fish, dried leafy herbs - alternates between oregano, rosemary, even basil? Salted butter, black pepper and freshly dried lemon slices. Salted liquorice and damp seaside rock pools further in.
Texture: Medium weight, soft and mellow - at 58%, remember! No spirit-y heat at all.
Taste: And there's the peat - dry and earthy, with a fistful of ash. A dry, warm (not hot) chilli flake spice, mixed in with some black pepper. Some iodine and soft old leather. More dried lemon wedges with the rind still in tact. Over-salted smoked pork, more oily smoked fish and more dried herbs behind.
Finish: Long length. The chilli flakes, black pepper and dried lemon again initially, then a muddy, earthy peat that then turns dry & ashy. Then shifting towards coastal - muddy damp rock pools, drying kelp, hot sand & salt spray from the shore. Oily putty, old bandages, smoked dried chilli (chipotle) and dried lemon to finish.
Score: 4 out of 5. Nudging 4.5 though.
Notes: Very good stuff! The most herbal Laphroaig I've tasted to date, and certainly one of the more mellow in character, without sacrificing any flavour. In fact this 18-year old drinks more like a 25+ year old, if you ask me - and you'd never guess it was over 58% ABV. The refill cask has worked brilliantly - textbook subtractive & oxidative maturation, in my relatively amateur opinion. Not adding too much at all, but doing its job well - mellowing and balancing, keeping an eye on things without getting in the way. It's definitely tarry, and there's plenty of smoked fish & dried herbs, so it's certainly quite Scandinavian in feel - but that's Finnish rather than finish! This does remind me of an old fishing boat, with the old crab pots, neglected rope & nets, never fully maintained or cleaned, that sort of thing. All very old-school Islay whisky, then!
This SMWS Laphroaig is something that I can see Mr. Serge Valentine going nuts over - and for good reason! A different, older, mellower style of Laphroaig, but with no dilution (pun intended) of character.
Cheers!
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