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Fellow Drammers!
Hope everyone is healthy and hanging in, and thanks to everyone who joined for our The Balvenie event yesterday. Next up is our epic Laphroaig tasting this coming "Phriday" April 17 at 5pm EST, where we will have the honor of welcoming to our club for the first time Simon Brooking, master brand ambassador for Laphroaig! Simon needs little introduction, he had the longest line of anyone at WhiskyFest this year (a solid 100 person waiting list for the bulk of the event) and for good reason -- he's one of the most dynamic and knowledgeable whisky speakers in the business (and if you ever run into him at a whisky festival, keep an eye out for an extra bottle he may have hiding on a big boot on the table!). We've been hoping to get Simon to Drammers Club for a while now, and we're as psyched as can be that he'll be joining us this Friday.
You know what I'm going to say next -- there was no way we were going to introduce Simon to our club with anything less than monster Laphroaig bottles, and indeed we've assembled a jaw-dropping selection of most of their biggest bottles released in the last 20 years, supplemented by some very generous bottles from Simon himself. Those of you who have been to one of our "bracelet" events in the past will be familiar with how this works. To allow more people to participate, we get 2 sets of everything, and when we can't get the exact same bottle, we try to comparably rare bottles. Then each attendee gets to choose which set you want until one is sold out. 4 of the bottles are identical in both sets, but 2 will be slightly different, so for those of you who sign up to get samples, choose between SET A and SET B for two of the bottles, and everyone will get identical pours of the other 4:
Laphroaig 30yo 2016 Limited Edition (SET A). The big kahuna. While not the oldest Laphroaig ever released (that would be the 32yo (that would be the 32yo released in 2015 for their 200th anniversary), this is their 2nd oldest release. It's also important to distinguish this from their current 30yo released in honor of former distillery manager Ian Hunter, which is also awesome, and also goes for over a $1,000/bottle, but the bottle we'll be drinking on Friday is even more rare. This was the 2016 special limited edition release that comes in a large white wooden box, listed (but long sold out) on Laphroaig's website as their highest-end release. To make it, they first aged Laphroaig in refill hogsheads and then recasked in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and refill quarter casks, all aged at Laphroaig's beloved Warehouse #1, these casks were hand-picked as the best of the bunch for this release. These bottles can easily clear $3k/bottle in the secondary market (see the current offering on The Whisky Exchange for reference). 53.5% abv. This is going to be a hard choice vs...
Vintage 1987 - Special 50th Anniv. Bottling for La Maison du Whisky (SET B). And this one is even more rare. La Maison du Whisky is one of our favorite whisky stores in the world, and to our delight several of their whisky experts attend our Paris meetings, so when we saw this special Laphroaig bottle made to celebrate LMDW's 50th anniversary, we knew it would be special and pounced. Selected from 6 casks "as the most representative Laphroaig of its age by Master Blender Robert Hicks". LMDW's 50th anniversary was in 2006, so presumably this is approx. a 19yo product, and from the reviews out there, these had to be some insanely special casks. No doubt that's why these bottles routinely well north $1,000/bottle. 53.4% abv.
Laphroaig 27yo Limited Ed. (included in both SET A and B). Another one of their limited release editions put out in the white wooden boxes, to my knowledge the 3rd oldest ever released by them, and now long sold out. Released in 2017, the whisky was aged in a mix of first-fill bourbon barrels and refill quarter casks (similar to the 30yo, also Warehouse #1, unclear if it was double-casked on the bourbon side). Very hard to find these days, but you see one pop up now and then in the $700 to $1,000/bottle range. Reportedly smoky and fruity with notes of citrus fruit, leather and sea spray. 41.7% abv
Laphroaig 25yo O.B. (Included in both SET A and B). Reportedly a noticeably different flavor profile, this generous gift from our friends at Laphroaig was matured for 25 years in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks (European oak!) and bottled at cask strength of 51.4% ABV, and bottled in 2019. Basically sold out nearly everywhere as far as I can tell, we'll have to ask Simon on "Phriday" if he knows of any available anywhere, probably in the $700/bottle range.
Laphroaig - Malts of Scotland Bottling - Ex-Bourbon Finish 22yo (SET A). We love the Malts of Scotland independent bottlings, and it's important to note that independent bottlings of Laphroaig are becoming increasingly rare, since my understanding is that Laphroaig put a full stop to it to keep up with demand for their official bottlings years ago. We picked up two of these Laphroaig Malts of Scotland bottlings, so for those of you who opt for SET A (the 30yo expression), you'll get this one, which is a whopping 22 years old, one of only 228 bottles released and matured entirely in an ex-bourbon hogshead, bottled at a delightful 49.6% abv. Cask 16032 for those that are counting, distilled 1994, bottled 2016.
Malts of Scotland - Ex-Banyul Wine Cask Finish 20yo (SET B). For those of you who opt for SET B (the LMDW 50th anniv. Bottle), you're in for a funky one. Slightly less old than the SET A Malts of Scotland bottling, this one comes in at 20 years matured (distilled '94, bottled 2014), but what it lacks in age it makes up for in its unusual finish - ex Banyuls Wine Cask! I've NEVER seen or heard of a Laphroaig finished this way before, so again, making it as hard on you as possible to decide which set to go with. It also comes in at a shockingly attractive 57.2% abv, so much higher in proof, one of 212 bottles, cask #14052.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2014 Bottling (included in Both SET A and B). This one is a little bittersweet for me to write about, seeing as it is the annual special release for the famous annual Feis Ile festival on Islay, where of course the distillery is located. Our club had rented a house for the festival this year and a big group of us were planning to go, which of course will have to wait now. But at least we have this consolation prize, and Simon generously gave us 2 bottles from their 2014 release. These are only available to members of their fun Friends of Laphroaig members program, which I encourage everyone to join through their website, it's free. This release was double-matured in ex-bourbon and ex-amontillado seasoned hogsheads, and a rare treat to try. 51.4% abv.
Single Cask - Warehouse Liquors Bourbon Barrel Vintage 2010. Last but not least we have a little bit of local flavor, a single cask pick for Warehouse Liquors, located on Broadway and 8th just a couple blocks from me. Distilled in 2010 and bottled in 2019, bottled at a lovely 55.1% abv. A single barrel (cask #3512), ex-bourbon barrel matured. That's all I know about it, we'll have to learn more on "Phriday"! That joke never gets old, ha! :)
That's our lineup, wow! We hope you can join, and if you're interested in getting a sample set delivered, please order your set as soon as possible, as it will take some time to distribute (please also let me know if you want SET A (30yo and ex-bourbon 22yo) or SET B (LMDW 50th bottle and ex-banyuls wine cask 20yo).
ZOOM LINK TO JOIN: https://zoom.us/j/882615358?pwd=UklhNnMxQ2xNNlRmWEUzcjV0SVBRdz09
PASSWORD: 04172020
MEETING ID: 882-615-358
Please let me know if you have any questions!