Whiskey and casks from Laphroiag
Laphroaig is a Scottish whisky brand from the island of Islay, a Single Malt whisky known for its individuality, smokiness and peaty flavour that it gets from drying the malted barley over a peat fire. The distillery was founded in 1815 and has produced its own whisky ever since. Laphroaig has a loyal following who savour the strong taste of the whisky. The brand offers various ranges including cask strength and limited-edition bottles.
How versatile is Laphroiag?
Die Marke bietet verschiedene Abfüllungen an, darunter auch Flaschen in Fassstärke und limitierte Editionen.
Laphroaig has an individual and powerful taste which many would describe as smokey, peaty, medicinal and salty. There are notes of iodine, seaweed, citrus fruits, vanilla and spices. The taste varies depending on the bottling and age of the whisky. A young Laphroaig can taste very intense and smoky, while an older Laphroaig can be far more complex with a soft smoky flavour. Ultimately, the taste of Laphroaig is very strong and distinctive and not everyone’s bag, but for many whisky devotees it is unparalleled!
Which casks are used for the aging?
To age its whisky, Laphroaig mainly uses American oak barrels which were formerly used to age Bourbon. The barrels give the whisky vanilla, caramel and spicy notes as well as a known sweetness. A few Laphroaig brands were also matured in European oak barrels which can give the whisky fruity, nutty and spicy notes.
Special bottling
Thus, a few Laphroaig ranges are aged in specific barrels to produce a particular taste. For example, the Laphroaig Quarter Cask is matured in small barrels to increase the whisky’s contact level with the wood, producing a more intense and complex flavour.
Don’t forget that Laphroaig sometimes offer a special bottle range which has been aged in barrels previously used to mature fortified wines such as sherry or port. These barrels give the whisky unusual flavours and tasting notes, producing a distinctive tasting experience.
What are the benefits of used barrels?
Barrels, previously used to age other spirits or wines, have usually developed a distinctive combination of flavours and tasting notes. If a spirit is aged in such a barrel, it can take on some of these flavours and tasting notes, giving the spirit an additional layer of complexity and depth.
For example, barrels which were previously used to age Bourbon, give the whisky vanilla, caramel and spicy notes, sherry barrels can give the whisky dried fruit, nutty and spicy notes, while rum barrels can give the whisky tropical fruit and caramel notes.
The use of previously used barrels can also help to harmonise and even out the spirit’s taste and flavour. For example, a spirit which was aged in a new oak barrel will take on an even stronger taste of oak and vanilla, but maturing whisky in a barrel previously used for sherry, can help to produce a rounder and more even taste.To sum up, the utilisation of used barrels opens the door to refining a spirit and layering it with additional flavours and notes, which will differentiate it from other spirits and give it a distinctive flavour.
Did you know, that used barrels are sustainable?
Every wooden barrel has its starting point as a proud tree in a forest. Each of these trees needs various substances to grow – among them carbon dioxide. The pollutant, also known as CO2, is thus stored in the wood. This storage capacity of trees does not diminish with the material use of wood, but remains over the entire life of each piece of wood. Only when it is burnt or rots is the carbon dioxide stored many years ago released back into the atmosphere. So the longer we use wooden barrels and give them several lives, the longer this storage capacity will remain.
Cheers!
Sibylle Eder
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