Laphroaig 15 Year Old (70cl, 43%) ***sold***
Laphroaig 15 year old was first created 30 years ago. Barrels were individually selected for their particularly mellow rounded flavour, then batch bottled at the higher export strength of 43 percent ABV. The resulting flavour soon became a firm favourite winning many awards. First launched in 1985, this particular bottling was said to be Prince Charles' favourite. It was replaced in the core range by an 18 year old expression in 2009.
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.