🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Quite surprising fruitiness which is more with orchard fruits than with tropical fruits while the peat and smoke really stays in the background but comes more and more out in the finish, very subtle and balanced, quite drinkable but unfortunately it was just a small sample - great stuff!

This is the sort of elegant restrained whisky that I like, but you need to take your time with it to get everything.

Apple pear, tobacco, iodine, bit of banana, apricot, peach, citrus, not much peat left after 40y in the wood but still some subtle medicinal smoke, pepper, very good

[June 2018]  A career/investment decision I took about 20 years ago finally paid off now and secured my future pension plan.  So I am in the extremely lucky position to open and drink all the bottles that were earmarked as a backup for my pension age so far.  And I start with this legendary bottle of the oldest Laphroaig that ever was released (up to now).  I bought bottle no. 0038 for 460 Euro (900 Deutschmark) in December, 2001. This is one of the most complex and elegant drams I tasted so far with the broadest aromas and flavours profile of them all, most probably.  It is simply delicious and a lot of fun to explore (if you are lucky enough to enjoy more than just a small sample).  Contrary to most of the high-priced modern releases of 40-years old whiskies this dram is worth every cent of the release price of 460 Euro per bottle.  Is it worth today's outrageous price tag?  It all depends upon the deepness of your pockets... [September 2020] Thanks to my sample library I am able to re-taste this dram tonight and I am as flabbergasted as I was the first time. It is very delicate and subtle with all my taste buds dream of: fruits and peat, molten sugars and medicinal aromas, oils, waxes, herbs, spices and and and... all in a perfectly balanced mix. I could sniff and chew this for hours! [December 2022] Another re-taste during the longest night of the year (winter solstice), and I am tempted to raise the score to 96 points tonight. Take your time with such an old beauty, it will reward both your olfactory cells and taste buds accordingly.

Refined, elegant, restrained but complex and deep old Laphroaig. Premium stuff! 93/94.

Great cinema this old Laphroaig - thanks Dani for the sample!

There is probably no better way to start a Laphroaig tasting. The oldest vintage and maturation found from Laphroaig. These are aromas that are unfortunately no longer found in today's Islay whisky or in other whiskys. This has nothing to do with today's Laphroaigs. You won't find many special whiskys in the respective genre and the 95 points are for enthusiasm, but above all for the incredibly exciting and beautiful aromas.

Music choice: Big Mama Thornton - Ball And Chain Laphroaig 40 Year Old 1960-2001 42.4% 3300btls Probably the only time I will have the privilege to drink a whisky that was distilled while Bessie Williamson was distillery manager (1954-1972). It’s pure liquid history at this point. To date the oldest Laphroaig ever bottled. Bessie Williamson intended to become a teacher, only taking an internship at Laphroaig in 1932. She worked directly with owner Ian Hunter and took on more and more responsibility with his poor health. During world war 2 she was responsible for safe guarding Laphroaig’s stock and equipment from theft and damage while operations were mothballed. Over 400 tonnes of ammunition were stored at Laphroaig during these years. She is credited with growing Single malt whisky as a brand in the US and positioning Laphroaig as a brand for the future. When Ian Hunter died in 1954 Bessie inherited Laphroaig, his home, and the island of Texa. She obviously made a huge impact, quite a testament to her character. Fast forward 6 years and this spirit was laid down in a cask...and now in 2019, into my glass... N: Very soft and delicate. All these notes are light, but completely complementary . Any brash peaty notes have been soaked into the wood leaving what I can only describe as a resin. It’s as if you cut down the grandest of oak trees and smelled right in the center of it after it rained. Very soft tar, pine, a minerality like crushed wet rocks or wool, hint of fresh dill, sea spray. I wouldn’t go as far to call it tropical, but there is undeniably more there. Old lemongrass, with a drop of pineapple juice. Very delicate and complex nose that evolves for hours in the glass. Stunning. It’s weird to say, but I feel like I could actually smell the tree that was used. Just this old grand elegant cask, beautiful Laphroaig spirit and time. That’s it. It’s actually kind of beautifully simple. P: Creamy, soft wax, light green tea notes, soft tar, faint lychee, a drop of pineapple juice, more sap/soft mint. It seems silly to put pen to paper on all these notes when you simply realize it is a delicate symphony of flavours and your brain cannot keep up. F: Lemon oil, sea spray, like taking a walk through the forest after a storm. crushed wet rocks, tannins from the wood (pleasant), pinecones, soft tar, shorter finish. Anything less than forever is of course too short. 93/100 It’s only a difficult dram to describe. When you have it, it makes perfect sense. It’s very light and delicate. There is a lot there, but you feel almost silly pulling out the few notes you are capable of, because it is so much more. The nose was my favourite part. I can (and did) smell this for hours. I only had a small sample that I shared with a friend. I’m sure if I had more time the score would only increase. So is it better than a Brora 35? Laphroaig 25? Springbank 21? Highland Park 30? I wouldn’t say for sure. It’s different. What’s certain is that it is a beautiful whisky of a time and style gone by. A piece of history. A time when the future of Islay whisky was not guaranteed. When Bessie Williamson was trail blazing the way for Laphroaig, Islay, and women in the Industry. My grandfather was not even 30 at the time. Etta James released her famous album “At Last”. Cost of a new house was $12,700 in 1960. This whisky was already in the cask for 9 years before we landed on the moon. Now how can you not get romantic about that? Thank you to my generous friend for the sample. Sláinte Mhath.

Yes i`m surprised about this bottle, this bottle is quit other then all the other laphroaigs i tasted. Sweet honey notes come into the nose. I`m searching for some peat, smoke or a sea brize and yes here they are but more in the background. The creamy and spicy body stays in the forground. This is really a new "Laphroaig" expirience.

Ranking: 1st finish, 2nd nose, 3rd mouth In the mouth he was a bit exhausting and could not meet expectations with the key data

It has a relatively oily viscosity and its bouquet is relatively intense. I have aromas of pleasant maritime peat smoke, citrus fruits, vanilla, creme brulee, pipe tobacco, apples, peach, hay, honey sweetness, shortbread and refreshing mint. Very complex malt. A good balance between sweetness and dryness in terms of taste. The alcohol is very well integrated and it has a relatively heavy body.

Great Laphroaig. You can nose this for hours and hours. It is very delicious. The texture on the palate is amazing. Wood, oil, smoke and biscuit s in the mix. Concerning price/performance ratio: 2/10 (2016)

Bottom of a molasses barrel, little bit of cough syrup, burning embers, all spice, peach, short finish

Incredible!!

COLOR: gold / dark straw NOSE: multilayered, fleshy, salted cooked ham, fruit salad, honeydew melon, if there is such a thing: sweet old furniture polish ..... TASTE: soft, creamy, positively woody musty, cold campfire, in a nutshell = harmonious and round. Departure: short to medium, very pleasant on the palate .... CONCLUSION: to share with 3 people a 5 cl sample ....... probably a slap in the face enough to appreciate this whisky. ....... nevertheless, * big cinema * 92/100

Utterly stunning in its harmony between distillate, peat, and cask influence. On par with the Ardbeg 1974 Provenance. The like of this whisky will probably not be seen from the distillery again.

First, this wonderful, aromatic smoke beguiles you. Always present but never intrusive. For me, too, not medically, as I expected. Rather, a cold, glowing, great aromatic campfire. The oak gives off a powerful spice. Dark planed chocolate, licorice and other spices can be found here. The smoke and the oak together form a harmonious bouquet and carry the remaining flavors seamlessly. Air-dried ham with a pinch of sea salt. A mint leaf cools and refreshes the nose. Again and again a sweetness comes out, reminiscent of a tropical salad of mango, papaya and honeydew melon, doused with a light vanilla sauce. Simply fantastic this interplay between the smoke, the oak and the sweetness. As soon as one has caught the yellow exotic fruits in the nose, the heavy spices settle on the aroma, in order to release the sweetness the next moment, stunning. In the taste, the aroma continues. Here you are surprised with a short, sweet start, but which immediately fades again, because the oak unfolds in the next moment its full aroma 40 years long maturation period. In the mouth a firework ignites. Powerful, voluminous, almost sparkling. Spices, espresso and the smoke fill the mouth. You do not want to swallow it at all, so impressive. The finish is medium to long and warm. It leaves a great spicy aroma in the mouth and you will be rewarded with a warm but not burning finish.