September 14th, 2009
For those of you who are interested, I’ll be reviewing the new Laphroaig 18 year old this Wednesday, September 16th, @4pm live on Twitter. I’ll be comparing it to the other Laphroaig expressions (10, Cask Strength, 15, Quarter Cask, 25, 30, etc.).
If you want to, follow along (http://twitter.com/JohnHansell). I’ll be sticking around to answer questions afterwards. If you can’t make it, no worries. I’ll post up my review here soon thereafter.
September 11th, 2009
I’ll be with John Campbell (Distillery Manager of Laphroaig) and Kevin Smith (Master Distiller of Maker’s Mark) at the Maker’s Mark distillery two weeks from tonight. We’ll be doing a LIVE Webcast at the distillery on September 25, 2009 @ 8pm EST.
This should be fun. If you’re not doing anything at that time, tune in. We’ll be tasting Maker’s Mark bourbon, as well as several Laphroaig expressions (including the new 18 and 25 year old whiskies). Here’s the link to the site with all the details.
August 11th, 2009
As many of you already know, Laphroaig 15 year old is being replaced by Laphroaig 18 year old. (That’s why you have been having trouble finding the 15 year old, if you’ve been looking.)
Here’s what I know about the ETA, etc., on the new 18 for the U.S., as told to me by their PR company:
It will start trickling in this summer. You’ll start to see it on shelves within the month. The price will be 20% higher than the 15 year, approximately $84.99.
I’ll be getting a review sample soon and will offer my thoughts.
April 8th, 2009
I’m sitting at the Grand Cayman airport waiting for my flight back home. (Great vacation!) The airport has free WiFi, fortunately.
I got this info from Josh, a “Friend of Laphroaig” and WDJK follower. The Friends of Laphroaig email update he got from John Campbell, Laphroaig Distillery Manager said this:
Single Batch 10 year old cask strength
Those who saw my Christmas broadcast will have heard about the change. Rather than trying to match each batch that is bottled we are going to let each bottling “live” as an individual in its own right. This is I think the more natural way as each batch is effectively bottled straight from the barrel. This means each bottling will vary but that is all part of single malts. Edition No1 will be bottled shortly and again I hope to make some available to you.
Very exciting. Since he calls it “Edition No 1,” I get the impression that this might be a different release than the standard 10 year old Cask Strength, but I’m not certain. I’ll try to reach out to John, but in the meantime, maybe someone else out there knows the answer?
April 1st, 2009
Beam Global Spirits and Wines just announced today that they will be introducing a new Laphroaig 25 year old and Ardmore 30 year old to the U.S. market in early April. You’ll find the details below, which I took from the press release. This has to be the oldest Ardmore distillery bottling ever. I’ll be getting review samples in the next week or two and will let you know my thoughts.
Laphroaig® 25 Year Old (2008) – Laphroaig 25 Year Old makes its U.S. debut revealing the remarkable result 25 years of aging in the finest Oloroso Sherry and American Oak casks has on the world’s most distinctive malt. The whisky is a rare combination of bold peat flavor spiced with sweet sherry notes and rich oaky undertones. Creamy, smooth, full of character and complexity, the marriage of woods intertwines to form a perfectly balanced unity. Bottled in 2008 at cask strength (51.2% ABV), Laphroaig 25 Year Old brilliantly fuses two different styles into a single, remarkable experience. Suggested retail price: $499.99.
Ardmore® 30 Year Old – Masterfully crafted from the only Highland distillery that has consistently peated its barley since its inception, Ardmore weaves bold smoky flavor notes historically associated only with Islay malts into the rich Highland malt experience. Aged in former bourbon barrels and handmade quarter casks, Ardmore 30 Year Old bears the same name and pedigree as its predecessor, but reveals a distinctive finish and rich, complex flavor all of its own. Only 1,428 bottles, each individually numbered, are available. Suggested retail price: $449.99.
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