Part of the Old Master's Cask Strength Selection range, this is a 1992 vintage from Islay. This single cask No 3200 was bottled in 2002 at 59.9% ABV.

Interestingly, even with our current drive for information in the world of whisky and the flack that a lot of whiskies, brands and distilleries get for not disclosing enough, this doesn’t seem to have been a problem two decades ago when this was enough.

Islay, cask strength. That’s the info you’re getting. Although this one is highly unlikely to have come from anything else than a refill bourbon cask. Also, it is considered to be a Laphroaig.

Laphroaig is the largest of the three heavyweight Islay distilleries in Kildalton, out-stripping the production capacity of neighbours, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, by over 1 million litres per annum. Despite its traditional appearance, Laphroaig was always a forward-thinking distillery. It was bottled as a single malt as early as the 1920s, an unfashionable option at the time, especially for a peated whisky. They were also shrewd in capitalising on post-Prohibition America to add trademark sweetness to their spirit through the use of imported ex-bourbon casks, and hired Scotland’s first ever female distillery manager, Bessie Williamson, in 1954. Laphroaig is one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland to still use in-house maltings, providing them with 20% of their annual requirements, and contributing to the distillery’s unique flavour profile.

James MacArthur & Co were founded in 1982 and are a no-frills independent label, focussed bringing lesser-seen and often closed distilleries to the market. Their simple approach and fine selection of cask strength and single cask whiskies has earned them an army of fans amongst connoisseurs across the world.