Laphroaig 15-year-old

The full identity of Laphroaig: harsh smoke, tar, herbaceous peat, dust, disinfectant, ointment, with a delicate honeyed sweetness, heather, candied angelica, a hint of citrus, and a good dose of iodine, powerful, with a few pebbles and seafood. On the palate, it's velvety, with polished fruit, mirabelle plums, bananas, vanilla, varnished wood; the peat comes later, cold ashes, dry earth, measured spices, pepper, clove. The finish is quite long, full of ash, asphalt, coffee, volcanic rocks, coal shards, black chalk, brown tobacco, and an ocean of fuel oil. This 15-year-old is not the same as the one from back then, it is more robust, more laphroaigish, with in particular a finish that gets your hands dirty, very long and charcoal-like. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2026/06/laphroaig-15-yo-2026.html

Blog online on 1 July 2026 on my website ! Conclusion: "A tad fragile, but delivering the goods you want to find in a Laphroaig. I will stick, however, to my beloved 12 years old."

It comes across as much more bitter, herbal, and drier than I expected. The 46% ABV suits it well.

My first impression is extremely positive: I sincerely hope that Laphroaig continues down this path and that the quality of their bottlings improves again. The new 15-year-old has certainly managed to completely win me over! More notes will follow...

It has an oily viscosity and a highly intense bouquet. I detect aromas of pleasant, maritime peat smoke, vanilla, crème brûlée, pipe tobacco, and citrus fruits. Not particularly complex. A good balance between sweetness and dryness in terms of flavor. The alcohol is well integrated, and it has a heavy body.

Strong lime flavor and plenty of smoke. It's already more exciting than the new 12-series. As my colleague LDB already wrote, it's good, but not as good as the old 15-year-old. I miss the phenolic, dry coal smoke and the finely nuanced barrel spice.

The malt was allowed to breathe in the half-empty sample for 3 weeks. [85~87] Nice, there's something to discover, but the incentive to buy only comes with a good price-to-enjoyment ratio :-)

Small Laphroaig lineup including the new 15-year-old (WB298482), an older bottling of the 18-year-old (WB42886), the Willem Dafoe bottling (WB298483) and the Cairdeas release from 2019 (WB131564).

I'm very happy about the new edition of the 15-year-old version, but secretly I had hoped it would bridge the gap between the 12-year-old and the 18-year-old versions even better. In my opinion, it's much closer to the 12-year-old than to the 18-year-old. I'm trying it for the fourth time in six weeks now: Overall, it's a nice bottle, but the direct comparison with the 12-year-old (WB281640) was quite disappointing. The 15-year-old is noticeably tamer on the nose, but not more interesting, and while it's a bit more refined on the palate, it's less fruity than the 12-year-old. This might be batch-dependent, of course, but I still find it a bit of a shame. Ultimately, it's good for my wallet, though. So I'll continue to stock up on the 12-year-old, which is often available for just over €40 and is a real bargain for that price. I think I'll keep an eye on the 15-year-old, however, and hope for a positive development.

Hopes were high, but unfortunately it wasn't as good as the old versions.

These are tough times for distilleries. New distilleries are constantly entering the market, which is actually shrinking. There are generations who supposedly don't drink alcohol. This, of course, also affects our beloved island of Islay. The two Brown-Forman distilleries, Laphroaig and Bowmore, have merged their production teams, undoubtedly reducing output. And then they release a new 12-year-old bottling, uncolored and non-chill filtered. Laphroaig, who, out of spite, even colored their tap water (just kidding). And now a 15-year-old, uncolored and non-chill filtered. Even for their 200th anniversary in 2015, they made their fans feel their utter contempt, serving them the 15-year-old as a colored and chill-filtered spritzer at 43% ABV. For the anniversary! And now it's released exactly as the nerds have always wanted it. The industry is truly struggling when it deigns to cater to the wishes of its customers. But enough of the mockery and derision: I am really looking forward to this whisky, which, after the 12-year-old, is the next Laphroaig that will be bottled exactly as I want it: pure and without added coloring. glen-efze.de

A beautiful Islay whisky with the familiar smoky and marine notes, but also fresh citrus fruits.

Brief comparative tasting of 12, 15, 21, 25 and 30 year olds. This one is really delicious. A touch of citrus, fruity, with a lovely smokiness. Very clean, neither medicinal nor particularly wild, and pleasingly light in the barrel. This one is really great.

A Laphroaig as it should be. Perhaps it would be even better with 48% alcohol, but good value for money!

A real joy and surprise for me. A strong, well-rounded and fantastic bottling.

A fairly clean bourbon-cask Laphroaig profile where tropical fruit and coconut soften the coastal smoke. High presentation integrity and easy-drinking balance, though somewhat reserved in intensity.

A typical, medicinal nose, reminiscent of a barn with wet hay, oily sea spray, freshly squeezed lemon, and a hint of peat. Tar and hydrocarbon notes confirm that this is indeed the new 15. Peaty mouthfeel, tarry herbs, fresh and candied lemon, grilled bacon, BBQ caramel, dark chocolate with cooked vanilla. The finish is marked by dry, grassy peat, spice, dried citrus, and wood toasted with a pyrography tool. For those who remember that the 15 at 43° was available in supermarkets for almost nothing.... now we've gone 3° higher with its characteristic barnyard taste!

Laphroaig 15 Years Old 2026 makes its glorious return to Laphroaig’s core range after a 10-year absence. The fan favourite expression spent 15 years in American oak casks, bringing extra depth to the distillery’s signature peat smoke character. Bold, coastal and uncompromising, Laphroaig 15 Years Old 2026 stays true to Laphroaig while offering extra richness and balance. The Tasting On the nose, the Laphroaig 15 Year Old unfolds with fresh citrus aromas (orange, grapefruit), underscored by a hint of dried hay. A light smokiness is accompanied by notes of vanilla and cloves, creating a first impression that is both lively and soothing. On the palate, äthe opening is characterised by sea salt and smoke, reminiscent of smoked fish. The Islay signature in all its glory. Gradually, notes of black pepper and spices (cinnamon, clove, coriander) come to the fore, before a fruity and juicy finish with peach and ripe grapefruit follows. The finish is long and smoky, striking an elegant balance between iodine-rich freshness and a hint of sweetness. The sort of finish that makes you fancy another glass. I preferred the older ‘15’ Laphis, but in this day and age, an affordable, honest dram…

Not as easy-going as I would've liked. Initially nose is quite closed up. For being ex-bourbon only it has some slightly tart wood notes. But it benefits from water and opens up and becomes a bit more quaffable. You get the added years comparted to the Travel Retail 12 in depth but for the trade off of losing much of its happy-go-lucky, easy-sipping character. So basically these are on par for me quality-wise, but different malts. I wish it was the 12 with just more depth and elegance. Try and judge for yourself though the price, especially in perspective of the 18, is still fair.

Got a sample from my good friend. Perfect dram for a cold october evening.

Fine Laphroaig. Especially for the current €70. Maybe not always exciting, but absolutely not unpleasant to pour a glass of.

A nice and stronger Laphroaig with notes of smoke, sea salt and vanilla.

Heel mooi, met veel hout en citrus. Echt verrassend lekker

scent: delicate, fresh, citrus, smoke somewhere in the background taste: delicate, sweet, smoke, nutmeg, caramel A pleasant, sweet Laphroaig. The smoke is prominent on the taste, almost none on the aroma.

Comparison of current production of "cheap" Laphroaig aged in bourbon. Laph 15y WB298482/2026 46% Laph 12yo WB281640/2025 46% Laph 10yo WB291718/2025 43%!, (US market) The youngest ten is a typical teenage hooligan Laphu, juicy, aromatic, 3% more alcohol than the standard European version. The dry smoke nicely balances the juiciness. This more mature 15yo shows new deeper tones, the hooligan is a bit more moderate, it doesn't show the wood or the roughness of the young bourbon. Stronger alcohol just right and the typical Laph DNA remains. Until you taste the 18yo, this will be your best Laph :) The 12th is a disappointment, expected with great ambitions (2 more years, 6% alcohol as well), which it did not fulfill for me. It contains all the ailments of both compared. It does not have the depth and balance of the older 15th, but it has lost the typical youthful, aromatic and juicy, although smoky character of the 10th. The strong influence of oak dampens other sensations and together with the smoke they pushed out the natural character of the Laphroaig distillate. I do not need another bottle :(

toppklass

It's quite different from the current 12-year-old from travel retail. More harmonious, to put it positively. He doesn't quite reach the level of the old 15yo, but still gets a good 87.5 from me, which is almost 88 points.

Good release for a decent price with evident phenolic notes, but at the same time not very powerful. I would prefer a bit more tropical fruits, although this 15yo is another positive surprise from Laphroaig after 12yo

Youthful beauty fades before the mirror, flowers wither on the tree.

A beautifully relaxed and mature Laphroaig. More settled and balanced than the Laphroaig 12. The oak spice beautifully complements the fruit and citrus notes. It has a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel. Everything is very well balanced. The typical Laphroaig smoke remains pleasantly in the background. Fruit, citrus, vanilla, and spicy notes. Very well composed, balanced, and harmonious. Perhaps this might be a bit too understated for some. But they'd probably prefer the Cask Strength or Quarter Cask. In any case, I'm delighted that the Laphroaig 15 is back. A relaxed, sophisticated sipper. Definitely a recommended purchase.