Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 14 Whisky Review!

Laphroaig seem to be pumping out these batches at an ever-increasing rate lately, and it's getting hard to keep up. In fact they're already up to Batch 15 now, so we'd better hurry!

It may get lost in the noise made by other limited releases and "sexier" independent bottlings from the same distillery, and it's never gotten as much attention as the more 'experimental' Cairdeas bottlings from the same distillery. But mark my words people; ignore Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength at your peril! Pricing has barely changed in the last few years, currently sitting at just under 60 Euros on the distillery's website, and it can be found for under $100 USD in America, both of which are an absolute steal. Since this whisky is not imported into Australia by the local distributor (CCA), that doesn't include shipping, which can be 40 Euros depending on your location, and also local handling fees & customs charges. If you're in metro Australia I'd guesstimate a landed total of around $180 AUD once everyone has had their slice of the pie. Yes, there are cheaper cask strength whiskies out there that you don't need to import yourself, and yes, that's relatively expensive for a 10-year old whisky. But this is cask strength Laphroaig, which makes it one of the most Islay of all the Islays. And that's significantly cheaper than most of the equivalent independent bottlings from this distillery, including the "mystery" bottlings that don't explicitly name the distillery. Some retailers do parallel import "Laph 10 CS" into Australia, but you're looking at a minimum of $250 AUD once they've add their mark-ups, which is too steep for this dram in my opinion. So you're better off importing it yourself straight from the distillery, which in reality is just as easy as buying from a local retailer, it just takes much longer to come from Europe - seems to be around a month, in fact!

The recipe is a simple one really, you just take your standard 10-year old expression and skip the dilution and the chill filtration. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It's a shame that many distilleries can't be bothered doing the same! While many release their flagship bottlings at 46%, 50% or at least 43% these days, the differences between the standard bottling and the cask strength version are much more pronounced here. In fact you may struggle to grasp that they were even from the same distillery! That's because Laphroaig bottles their regular core range 10-year old at the legal minimum strength of 40% ABV (unless you're in the US where it's 43%), and it's heavily chill filtered and loaded with E150a artificial colouring. Laphroaig is far from the only offender there, but it's still a massive shame and a huge missed opportunity that they aren't getting with the times. The only positive here is that they do release the cask strength version where many distilleries don't, and we can't forget that Laphroaig 10-year old is the highest selling and most recognised Islay single malt in the world. Still, a 46% version would be great to see, even at a higher price - ignoring the fact that the 40%-er is already more expensive than many of its competitors, most of which are bottled at a higher ABV. Let's not forget that the only two Islay distilleries who still insist on bottling their flagship single malts at the legal minimum of 40% ABV, being Laphroaig and Bowmore, are owned by the same company, Beam Suntory. The other seven Islay distilleries, from the two large Diageo-owned down to the small privately-owned Kilchoman, bottle their single malt at 43% and above, with quite a few going for 46% and above across their entire single malt ranges. Food for thought, isn't it?

Along with the likes of Lagavulin 12-year old, cask strength versions of Kilchoman's Machir Bay, and - provided you get a good batch at a good price - Ardbeg's Corryvreckan and Uigeadail, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is one of the best "bang for your buck" official bottlings of Islay single malt out there. Yes there's some batch variation with these Laphroaigs, but that applies to just about every whisky on the market, including those others listed above. Some batches are better than others, but I'm yet to taste a "bad" one, or one that I haven't enjoyed. We aren't told how many bottles are released in each batch, but they don't seem to sell out in any hurry, even after the Europeans and Americans get their allocations. For example, Batch 14 that I'm reviewing today was actually bottled in June 2021, released later that year, and is still available on the distillery's website, along with quite a few other retailers. Batch 13 was bottled in January 2021, while the latest Batch 15 was bottled in December 2021 but was only "pre-released" on the website in the last month or so but has started popping up at other British retailers. While there used to be one batch released per year, the releases seem to be all over the place now. Maybe the disastrous worldwide logistics situation has something to do with that, I'm not sure. But they also don't seem to be selling out as quickly as they have in the past, quite possibly because there are too many batches being released in quick succession. Anyway, let's take a closer look at Batch Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 14. ABV this time is 58.6%, and it's non-chill filtered and bottled in June 2021, but released in late '21 and still widely available in some markets - albeit by private or parallel import if you're in Australia and the other countries that are unfairly deprived of these monsters. Let's dive in!

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength, Batch 014, 58.6%. Islay, Scotland.

Matured in ex-bourbon barrels, bottled June 2021 (released late '21), non-chill filtered. Colouring unknown.

Colour: Copper. Colouring could go either way I think, but maybe less than the core range 10yo. 

Nose: Rich, sweet, mega-coastal and peaty. Quite nippy as well. Big oily, muddy, sweet peat, with burning rosemary, and damp moss. Hot ashes, rock pools, and chilli salt. Vanilla cream, toffee fudge & sweet oak. Touches of aniseed, wasabi paste & fried green banana underneath. Black pepper & sweet lemon zest with more time. 

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Rich, sweet, oily, peaty & medicinal. Touch of heat but milder than the nose suggested.  

Taste: Big aggressive entry with vanilla pod, chilli salt, burnt rosemary, and that big muddy, oily, dank peatiness. Toffee fudge, brown butter & sweet lemon zest underneath, plus a hint of sweet fruit. Iodine and hot cinnamon. 

Finish: Very long length. Black pepper & chilli salt alongside that oily, muddy, dank peat. Hot ashes again, then iodine & disinfectant, with a couple of bandaids thrown in for good measure. Thick oily peat & sweet vanilla powering through to the end. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: It's more aggressive than I remember the other recent batches being, although I'm yet to take a close (read: uninhibited) look at batch 13. But this is still a massive flavour-packed Islay monster, one of the big dogs that refuses to shy away from any fight. If you've tried this year's Cairdeas release, 'Warehouse 1", which is very soft & relatively subtle, this is the absolute polar opposite. Huge peatiness & sweetness, with the trademark fudge & disinfectant. That always sounds like an odd combination, and it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you're an Islay lover it doesn't get much better. In the rankings I'd put this batch 14 above batch 8, and roughly on par with 9, 10 and 12 overall, but not on the level of batch 11. Batches 6 & 7 are still my picks of the numbered batches to date, but we're getting a bit far back there (7-8 years!) for any fair comparisons. 

For the price level, if you're lucky enough to get it for close to the distillery's RRP, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is almost impossible to beat. If not for the local customs charges in Australia you'd be paying roughly the same as the local pricing for the standard 10-year old at 40% ABV, and as I said above you'll struggle to pick the two as products of the same distillery. I've already said it many times and I'm sure the result (or lack of) will be the same this time, but I'm going to say it again. Please, CCA & Beam Suntory, bring some of this beast to Australia! 

Cheers!