Review #168 - Laphroaig Select — Me, My Wife & Whisky

Laphroaig's self-proclaimed 'most approachable' whisky - this is Laphroaig Select. It's an entry-level strength, entry-level priced (supposedly) single malt, which is supposed to entice people who are less familiar with peated whisky by offering 'balanced and complex flavor.'

On the brand's website, the mixture of casks is described: Oloroso sherry butts, first fill ex-bourbon quarter casks, Pedro Ximenez sherry hogsheads, and virgin American oak barrels are all used. Interestingly, the blurb states that five types are actually used, but we only get the four above listed for us. It's quite a mixture of flavors from those casks - will all of the flavors make their way through, especially at a lower bottling strength of 40% ABV?

Laphroaig Select

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 57 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 40% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-Oloroso sherry, ex-PX sherry, ex-bourbon, and virgin oak casks

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 14 months; bottles at 90%, 40%, and 20% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Medium strength ashy peat, just slightly medicinal, and some brine or salty notes. Little bit of oceanic scents like seaweed, and then some nondescript darker fruits and a bit of straw; it can be a bit earthy, and there's sweet moldy lemons.

Palate: Soft arrival, with a medium-thin mouthfeel - medium strength peat again, and salt water. A bit of dry oak and sugary lemon, along with simple syrup and some sweet bell peppers; the flavors aren't particularly strong, and the palate gets more watery with time.

Finish: Mild peat, dry white pepper, mild wood tannins, and some barrel char. There's lime citrus candies, or even lime sherbet; a light ashy note, and the whole experience is light in complexion.

Final Note: For a peated whisky, this is pretty inoffensive, but a bit boring - there's no complexity here. Despite the long list of cask types, the flavors in the glass are quite subdued - the bottling strength is really hurting the experience. There isn't a whole lot to it - slightly bland, and the typical Laphroaig 10 Year, bottled at 40% or 43%, it a big step up.

Our Average Rating: 5.2 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.39