#MiniTasting - Laphroaig CS 10yo's

Laphroaig Cask Strength 10 year olds - the #MiniTasting gang take on the most recent 3 batches. For this #MiniTasting @ScotchB78 supplied 3 drams for  @jwbassman_, @WhiskynStuff  and myself to try!

Here are our thoughts:

Photo: Scott

Dram		Batch 008 (Mar '16)	Batch 009 (Feb '17)	Batch 010 (Jan '18)
Characteristics		59.2% ABV Natural colour, NCF	58.1% ABV Natural colour, NCF	58% ABV Natural colour, NCF
Distillery info		Original Cask Strength Laphroaig is bottled at natural distillery strength with all the depth of genuine taste and texture normally associated with sampling whisky at source. We mature Laphroaig in seasoned oak barrels, charred before filling to impart a slight sweet vanilla nuttiness. Original Cask Strength Laphroaig is barrier-filtered only just, to remove the small char particles present. This means you will enjoy Laphroaig exactly as we made it. In extremes of temperature and when you add water it may appear a little cloudy – this is the natural condition of a malt of such a peaty pungence and uncompromising purity. Adding a little water releases a rich aroma of peat smoke with some sweetness and strong hints of the sea. Emphatic, full bodied and utterly unforgettable – we like to think it’s the purists choice. Nose: Very powerful, "medicine", smoke, seaweed and ozone characters overlaying a sweetness. Palate: A massive peated burst of flavour with hints of sweetness at the end. Finish: Long and savoury.
Appearance
		Batch 8, 9 & 10 - they all look exactly the same colour, natural colour and NCF - all a lovely reddy gold
Nose	Brian	Gravity defying swirls, eventually leading to slow thin legs. Initial nose Bonfire on the beach! The @Laphroaig medicinal notes are there and a hint of citrus? Loads of peat smoke, seaside breeze and freshly turned soil. I think there is some fruit notes in there too - apples or pears?	Again gravity defying swirls, eventually leading to slow thin legs. Initial nose slightly different sweet peanuts..... 😢 There's the sweet peanuts as mentioned but underneath that there is a lot of oak (virgin oak cask?) and the medicinal notes typical of a @Laphroaig	Again gravity defying swirls, eventually leading to slow thin legs. Initial nose similar to the 009 sweet peanuts..... 😢 but with a more briny influence Again the sweat peanuts, medicinal notes and the oak but this one also has some pepper spiciness too.
	John	The smoke is there as you would expect, supported by some very earthy notes, damp grass	The smoke is the consistent element here - slightly brighter/sharper on the nose than batch 8, less vegetal	This sits somewhere between the first two - more initial sweetness here but this seems to combine the vegetal and brighter notes of the previous two…
	Paul	Mine have been sitting out for 20 mins or so. When i 1st opened them it was a big whack of "medicinal" peat, seems to of calmed down abit now. The peat is there straight away...obviously. Seems quite fresh - spirity - Seaside notes. Its kind of a burnt meat peat. Earthy - vegital. Not getting any kind of sweetness, very savory.	Definitely a lot of similarities but seems "sharper" somehow, more to the point. Not as much going on imo, but smoke. Still spirity, abit of green fruits and burnt meat still in there.	A bit calmer this one. Slightly sweet? But seem to be something in the middle of 008 and 009. All very similar in deed but with small differences in smoke intensity.
	Scott	Smoke and peat as expected, sweet honey underneath it with a hint of BBQ meats. Smoked paprika and Patatas Bravas	Is very similar to the 008, maybe a bit more mineral or ashy	Is again pretty much the same as the last two, maybe slightly more muted or more likely the inside of my nostrils are scorched by now. Overall, whilst very similar on the nose, the 008 is more meaty whereas the 009 and 010 have more of a fruity background. Common between them all is a lot of peat smoke and charred oak
Palate	Brian	Thick arrival almost syrupy but with huge peppery spice notes and the 59.2% ABV makes itself know. There's a sweet and sour note - honey on grapefruit? before the blanket of peat smoke covers everything. Nice! Is anyone getting orange?	This one is also quite thick but also super smooth, the ABV is there (58.1%) but not as obvious. loads of fruit on this one, a little of the citrus before once again the smoke blankets everything. Smoky Bacon crisps?	I agree a little thinner than the previous two. More fruit evident on the tongue - apples and strawberries then a little sour citrus note before the smoke comes in (across the water!) Getting some dark chocolate / brown sugar notes after a few sips. The taste is nice - I just can't get them bloomin sweet peanuts out of my nose!
	John	Oh, the ABV is very evident on first sip, tingling, followed by a slight numbing sensation	I think all three of these drams need a bit of time to settle down and open up... I don't feel the need to add water as I'm adjusting to the higher ABV now - but maybe in the name of science I should 💦	This one is certainly sweeter than the previous two batches, less meaty, more citrus.
	Paul	Paint thinner! burnt meat, earthy, savory, vegital. Just what the nose suggests really. I dont think its hugely complex just a big ashy smoke. Burnt to a crisp orange?	That one is better. Still savory vegital earthy stuff. But a ever so slight sweetness and no thinners to this one. There seems to be abit more to this one, lots of burnt stuff and char but some fruitiness too. I had Frazzles when I 1st opened them on the nose, but they have gone now...	Oh that's better again imo. That sweet savory stuff is in there. Fruit and charcoal! Getting the peanuts on this one! Very burnt brown sugar. Burnt bbq meat with herbs on! Quite enjoying this one. I haven't really tried much @Laphroaig and i do wonder if 010 has been toned down abit (thus why i like it), is it what yous remember Laphroaig to be?
	Scott	ABV hits you as soon as it passes your lips, big alcohol burn which keeps going. Accompanied by smoke, ash and BBQ. Though there is a sweet honeyed background to it all. Very thick mouthfeel too	Sharper, more citrus than the 008. Less smoked meat, more burnt lemon or grapefruit? Not as thick either. Frazzles?	This one is less of a punch in the face than 008 or 009 on the palate. Agree with @jwbassman_ that it's the thinnest too. This is a session @Laphroaig CS10
Finish	Brian	Long and smoky, loads of peppery spice, burnt wood and that orange note.	Long and smoky - this one is a little sweeter than the 008 and has more of a citrus zing to it - nice!	Those sweet peanuts are back... long and smoky like the previous two but this one just over does it on the sweetness.
	Paul	Thinners! Shoe polish. Little bit sweet, where did that come from?	Peppery, ash, slightly fruity as well.	Brown sugar, charred fruits. All quite long finishes imo. The smoke stays with you with them all.
With water	Brian	OK - added a tiny drop of water to the last few sips of each - let's see what that brings out. Note: Just a tiny drop not the "Twice as much water to whisky" that the back of the @Laphroaig bottle box suggests..... Nose: 008: the smoke fades a little, more fruit notes. 009: again fading smoke but with some grassy notes. 010: the smoke almost disappears - loads of fruit especially strawberries. Palate: 008 seems almost thicker, briny notes come to the fore - nice! 009: Spice notes intensify - this is a lovely dram! 010: much too sweet now - peanuts to the fore - not pleasant....
	John	Having had a small sip of each, it's remarkable how similar they all are on the palate given the more apparent differences on the nose... The texture is different, they gradually thinner on the palate, the batch 8 is quite creamy, but 9 is less so and 10 is the thinnest of the 3... I think all three of these drams need a bit of time to settle down and open up... I don't feel the need to add water as I'm adjusting to the higher ABV now - but maybe in the name of science I should 💦 I've put a few drops of water in each... 008, I'm getting a lovely honeycomb note now on the nose, like a crunchie bar. 009 is a little more fruit forward now and slightly more earthy. 010 is brighter more citrus.
	Paul	0.5ml of water added to each. Seems to bring out more burnt toffee notes, kills the smoke of abit. Adds some fruits - red fruits but also a polish note to them. Im not so sure about the water carry on...
	Scott	So @Laphroaig suggest adding twice as much water to whisky for the CS10. Sorry @MaltMusings I'm going to try it. #sacrilege I have ruined my whisky... Watery versions of the neat drams 😫 Still nice, like a @Laphroaig cocktail 😂 Finish CS10 008, 009, 010 - Water.
Overall	Brian	I prefered the drams in batch order 008, 009 then 010. 008 was a cask strength 10yo - medicinal smoke! 009 was lovely and spicy, a tiny drop of water brought that to the fore. Again I noticed that sweet peanut note on the 010 - just not nice. I'm not after a bottle of 011 until I've tried a sample - couldn't drink a whole bottle of sweet peanuts....
	John	My favourite is 008, followed by 009 and 010 in third place. I prefer the creamier texture of the 008 and the more earthy notes, just more of what a @Laphroaig should be for me. #MiniTasting It's all part of the education and it's great to get the opportunity to do this sort of thing 😊 Really enjoyed the #008 once it had chance to settle in the glass - much better than the other two for me.
	Paul	I'm going against the crowd on these ones. 010, 009 then 008. But I will agree my taste for peat is not quite there yet. Just don't add water folks, it's not good for you!
	Scott	I totally agree with John, I much prefer the thick, creamy mouthfeel of 008. Without trying them side by side i would never have noticed This has been an interesting experiment! 008>009>010. All have the same smokey, peaty oaky rich flavour profile with slight variations on a theme. Do not add water!

Required equipment when adding water:

So all the way through the evening we shared a playlist of 'appropriate' songs - here they are: