Laphroaig 32-year-old

A dream made of sherry and perfectly integrated subtle smoke. For me, the smell is the highlight of this bottling.

Very nice bottling with tropical fruits and only a little smoke (like many old lapis)! The spice is also just right to take this bottling to the top!

Super weak palate. Disappointing.

nose - 9.5taste - 9.7finish - 9.6

One of the more dry bottlings - overall prettygood balanced

Aroma-Pronounced；Palate-92/100; Aftertaste-Med-Long；

a combinatiom of 32 year old and 34 year old casks; first fill and re-fill. two previously managers responsible for the distillate.

Laphroaig 32 years, 46.6% OA Laphroaig 32 years, 46.6% alc. original bottling Extending: Oloroso sherry casks Region: Islay, Scotland Report on the release in Berlin (September 2015): Here Nose: Mild peat smoke with a small rim of iodine, with orange aromas, gentle grapefruit, currants and dried blackberries. Behind them are the oak wood tannins, accompanied by cloves, wood smoke and cayenne pepper. These flavors are discreetly kept in the background. At the end, the fruit becomes even richer and sweeter, sultanas jostle among the other flavors. Palate: More smoke, much spicier. Nevertheless, everything fits perfectly into the picture. The fruits are sweeter, look like fruit gums, and the impression of caramel, cinnamon and butter biscuits, spiked with dried berry fruits, flashes. Cocoa butter is also tastable. Finish: Long and spicy, dry Oloroso, dried berries, cedar wood and dark chocolate. Conclusion: A very worthy of the anniversary bottling, albeit at a hefty price. 90/100 point (tasted 2015, approx. 1,100 €) Thank you Beam Suntory for the rehearsal Original article with photo: http://notesofmalt.de/notes-Islay-und-In...-32yo,-46,6-OA/

Maritime smoke, tropical fruits a delicious mix between sweet, fruity and peaty, excellent

the US edition is 46.7% ABV versus the rest of the world 46.6% ABV. Not sure what the difference is

A boundary stone between two Laphroaigs: on one side the old, fruity dram with its gentle, harmonious smoke, close to an old Bowmore from the sixties; on the other, the louder spirit the distillery pours today. This one keeps to the old side. Blind, you would struggle to call it a Laphroaig at all. No iodine, no medicine cabinet. The smoke is very soft, the result of a long maturation solely in Oloroso sherry casks, yet with none of the sherry's dried fruit: instead light, fresh mango and blood orange, a little sea, all in half-tones. The palate is delicate to the point of pale, making you hunt for its faintest shades rather than handing them over. Not for beginners, nor for those raised on the modern cask-strength Laphroaig. The alcohol is barely there, nearer 43% by feel than its stated 46.6%. A light oak dryness at the close, salted smoke and dry Oloroso, soft to the last.

Overall a very strong dram and a rather singular Laphroaig, but the price is enough to make anyone think twice before buying.

Fantastic, as it builds up in the nose. On the tongue a poem, the long finish a dream. Perfectly matched flavors, ingenious Laphroaig.

Meat and smoke, the aroma awoke a primal urge to upend the glass the one fell gulp. I resisted and salivated as cured meat, jerky, and smoked brisket arrived. Hints of salt and a slightly creamy funk brought to mind smoked gouda while straw, old compost, and an old garden shed carried the dram toward the earth elementals. A fruitier side teased with lychee and strawberry. Medium-bodied, the profile carried on with meat but introduced more fruit and mellow campfire smoke. Charred fruit skin and caramelized sugars brought a summer barbecue with hints of salt and watermelon to mind. The wife called out Chinese black bean sauce over spare ribs while lapsang souchong tea arrived with a delicate herbal smoke. The smoke continued to build through the end with old campfires and weather-beaten driftwood. The finish was long with hints of fruity pear and charred driftwood, the remnants of a beachside bonfire. There is something magical about tasting a whisky older than oneself, especially when it is a rare and special treat. Distilled before I was born, I have since outpaced this Laphroaig after it was bottled at 32 Years in 2015. This whisky had a lot to love as its pungent smoke survived those long decades in oak. I was surprised to find so little fruit; in my experience, older Laphroaig can become almost magically fruity as the more acrid elements of the smoke subside. Tantalizing hints of tropical fruit appeared at times, but the dram remained firmly in the beachside driftwood campfire zone of the flavor spectrum. The wife tried it blind and thought it was good, but she was surprised to find out it was so old; it struck her as a bit younger and a tad too light. That said, this was obviously still an excellent dram and a bottle worthy of a milestone celebration. Mental Image: Summer’s Beachside Bonfire

Toffee bacon, orange smoke, metallic mushroom, sweet iodine. The finish is a little hollow, you expect more from the complex and dense nose, however it is nonetheless a highly elegant and rewarding dram.

smooth but not very complex

Serge says; Laphroaig 32 yo (46.6%, OB, 5,880 bottles, 2015)  All sherry matured, this one. There’s been some fantabulous all-sherry Laphroaigs in the past, let’s hope this newish baby will manage to hold a candle to its glorious predecessors. 1967/68 or 1974, anyone? Colour: dark gold. Much lighter than the official pictures suggested. Nose: ah, yes. New tyres and benzine, flints, fresh walnuts, a touch of black truffles (I know that suggests sulphur, but not quite), embrocations and tiger balm, menthol, rather very old Sauternes than oloroso, bicycle inner tube, a touch of raisins, a curious hint of rancio… And no obvious smokiness. Love this nose. Mouth: Laphroaig! A perfect phenolic maelstrom, complex, rich, yet very elegant… I’ve read lukewarm reviews, but I’m relieved, since I’m finding this pretty perfect. Medicinal as it should be, almondy, perfectly gassy (in a way), with the expected tropical fruits (maracuja) and these smoked apples that do not exist in real life, but are very Laphroaig. And here come the seashells, the oysters, the mint drops, our beloved whelks, tincture of iodine… Well, true Laphroaig. Love it, really, love it… Finish: the true level of a malt whisky is to be found in its finish, said a friend whose name escapes me. This finish is perfect. Comments: frankly, this is a relief. This baby’s almost worth its heavy price tag (around £1,000), and I find it very cool that they didn’t propose it in one of those very stupid and very useless decanters that can be seen elsewhere. SGP:456 - 92 points.

Drinking this next to the Laphroaig 17 year bottling for Feis Isle 2004. This is medium gold, a touch darker than the 17. Nose is medicinal, peat smoke, fairly calm and smoldering, with green apple skins. Compared with the 17 (which is much sharper and more aggressive) it's quite sweet and very buttery, I dare say to its detriment. Mouth is refined, again apple, butter, nice peat and coal smoke on the finish. Lots of nice fruits on the finish with sharper flavors coming on. Some tropical fruits start to shine as it opens, especially mango. Nice medium/thick feel. Improves and grows as it opens. Nice stuff, especially when the butter calms down and the tropical fruits shine.

"It's 32 year old but there's actually some 34 year old in here too. So one of the casks was a 34 year old. So That would mean two of the other managers we've got here, Murdo Reed and Dennis Nicol would've made this liquid... There's some refills and there's some first fill sherries in here too, so you're gonna get, there's alot of dates to me up front in this one In a real kinda toffee, datey way. And then you go through and there's a real mahogany feeling in this one. When you taste it... you're gonna get the toffeeness first and then it moves into fruity and then the real kinda woody, nice dry, it just lingers and floats about your mouth for a long time." - John Campbell, Laphroaig Distillery Manager

For a 32y I would have expected something more.

very nice in smell and taste

I had the opportunity to taste this great whisky at the fair. Apart from the price it was a great experience to taste such a world class whisky. I actually prefer cask strength over 50% ABV, but the Laphroaig was/is just sensationally balanced and delicious. top class !!!

Well worth a drink

http://kaypingers-whiskyblog.de/frontend/fullarticle.php?id=186 Color: Full gold with a light amber stitch Nose: Smoky minty aromas and dull leather, peppered with orange extract, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. An invigorating freshness of grapefruit, lime peel and sweet honey swings in between - little seasoning, almost peat-free, actually Laphroaig atypical, but quite alright! Taste: Thin structure, maritime sweet, with lime, lemons and now also noticeable smoky peat - yes, and what else? Subtle subtle notes of sweet shortcrust pastry and toffee ... Finish: Medium length - according to the taste and hints of dry wood. If something is watered down over the finish and sounds dry with smoky lemon aromas. Remark: 1.200 Euro? A sheep in wolf-fur !! The 88 points are owed to the not so bad nose. 88 points (nose: 90 / taste: 87 / finish: 86)

No doubts, this is a great Laphroaig expression. But if you are expecting an older version of the latest 30y old Laphroaig, you have to find it somewhere else. This one is unique in its way, oloroso and smoke in the mix. But not that plum marmelade punch from the 30y old version. Concerning price/performance ratio: 5/10 (2015)

A great, mature whisky. Price for the taste but a bit too expensive.

Nose: old oak cabinet and wood polish, well-bred bright fruits, a touch of overripe exotic fruits, plum wine, clove, menthol and cinnamon, the smoke is always noticeable but very discreet and fully interwoven with the other flavors. Over time, the smoke becomes more clear and maritime notes blow over. Like opening an old treasure chest on a sandy beach on Islay. A monster of complexity but rather tender - nothing of the typical Laphi-smokiness. He is not only old the judge too old. A big movie theater ! Taste: Smokier and stronger than the nose suggests. Warm ashes, pepper and again these exotic fruits. But the oak is becoming more and more dominant. Spice cake and coffee grounds, strong bitterness and aromatic smoke are the dominant notes in the long finish. This freshness of menthol revives the whole thing a bit but this beautiful old wood remains in the memory longest. So now we know how such an old treasure box tastes that has been dug up on Islay ^^ The nose is gigantic and the taste too. The finish is "only" still very good, but that's all a matter of taste. All in all, a great whisky that every Laphi fan should have had in his glass. An entire bottle is unfortunately only for the rich but at least for a dram I was in the Islay sky.

By Serge Laphroaig 32 yo (46.6%, OB, 5,880 bottles, 2015): 90 Punkte

Laphrodge, the daily dram of the old money, is excellent but lacks a certain personality.

From Ruben @ whiskynotes.be Nose: quite… well… normal. Really old Islay whiskies tend to have less peat smoke and sometimes a glorious fruitiness. This one is still rather sooty, with quite a lot of ashy notes. Plenty of menthol and eucalyptus as well. Behind this, there are great sherry notes: toffee, dried figs, cinnamon and brown sugar. Hints of red berries, maybe a little ripe mango in the background. Subtle raspberry vinegar. Roasted peanuts. Mouth: again a deep smokiness and tarry notes up front, something diesel-like and ashes, before it gets to a nice fruitiness. Raisins but also lots of pink grapefruits and a faint tropical note (mango, papaya). Signature medicinal and coastal notes (iodine). Nutmeg and pepper. Leather. A lightly acrid earthiness too. Finish: long, warm and smoky. Vaguely sweet but mostly savoury, with dark cocoa and ginger. This was surprisingly peaty – I’d think of this as modern production rather than a Laphroaig from a previous era, but that doesn’t make it less great. It’s nicely polished and balanced, which makes the price almost fair. Around € 1200 but prices tend to differ. Score: 92/100

Hm. For a great whisky. Delicious. Noble. Can I take a long time? But so relative, in comparison for the price? Difficult, I do not often drink such old Islays or in this price range. But so 2 clues from memory: The 1988 Bowmore 21 Port and https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/19865/caol-ila-1980-mm , for example, I found better.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/tomoh-anniversary-drams/ N: Fruit-layered putty complex, unique sponge [think cake=natural sea versions], silicone, putty-ash, charred chestnuts, lime tutti-fruity, waxy vanilla<lychee,... and later on over-taking those fruits come the barley sugars to the fore. No doubt this bottle will continue transforming over the following months/years. T: A thin body characterised by its age, also a tad thin=soft-sharp [again on opening], with an aged delicacy. Notes of medicinal<fruits, some nuttiness, a sweet>saltiness. Beguiling. F: The driest-waxy mouthfeel i can imagine [i like], with long ashy remnants [i dig]. C: Immediate love and increasing intrigue as to how this will open out over time. I imagine my score would increase further with more exposure. The Cavalier will enjoy!Scores an A-

Smell ----------------------90 Flavor--------------------91 End Rhyme--------------------89

yes, I'm in heaven a whisky that matches his age thrilled with distinctive note combinations and stays in the mouth for a long time

Well I am a bit disappointed as a Laphroaig fan. It is a great malt but I miss the typical Laphroaig. That could also be an old Lagavulin or Caol Ila. After 32 years, this Laphroaig makes it very leisurely, but the nose is a dream, unfortunately on the palate a bit disappointing for me.

Conclusion: 91/100 points - "should have tasted" whisky The Laphroaig 32 years is a beautiful, complex whisky, matching the anniversary. He combines the basic character of a classic Laphroaig with the solid complexity of an old sherry whisky. The sweetness is very good. However, the price in a league, that this leads to point deduction, because he stands for me in no justified relationship to the offered. However, you should have tried it, as it is something special. Link to the tasting on my blog: http://www.tasting-notes.de/Archive/50

(Obviously the price is not good, but I want all my rates to reflect whisky quality and not price).

An excellent whisky in which the game with the water brings a nice effect especially in the mouth. I do not know if I find it better with or without water. Has both its merits.

COLOR: dark gold (without dye) - an ultimate good top malt - one of the best single malts in my life - just awesome - is unfortunately very very expensive, but an excellent complex combination of age, fruit, sherry, light smoke, - unbelievable taste experience! - for about 1500€ a damn expensive investment and clearly too much money for a bottle! ... but it's definitely worth trying

Warm sealing wax, I open the parcel, and there the jam spilled and mixed. And smoke and broken branches

This is a gorgeous and dignified dram to celebrate the distillery's 200th anniversary year. An exceptional whisky, very complex, rich with layers of flavour impressively demonstrating the brilliance older Islay whiskies can be. A perfect symbiosis of sweetness, sherry, peat and smoke, without any dominating wood flavours. Grab a sample, sip in front of an open fire in a brown leather chair, then you are in heaven. https://www.facebook.com/Whisky-Connaisseur-550443305109776

In my book, this is Laphroaig at its best - I think this whisky really needs a great deal of cask time in order to really be at its best. The price is of course very high indeed, so not much bang for the buck going on here. Still, a fantastic dram.

An outstanding Laphi who was allowed to mature in super barrels. The smoke was almost completely degraded over the long term. Only had 2.5 cl, but they were worth every penny! Have rated him very high, here is "if not now, when?"

Excellent whisky

The fat is thick and fruity, and the gunpowder flavor blends well with the whole thing.

An aged and rich whisky, slowly, but without hiding, revealing its best sides to the taster, it cannot be called minimalistic, but it does not amaze with the variety and breadth of the palette, the depth and complexity of the composition are its advantages, calmly and without haste we can observe the gradual the opening of sherry derivatives against the backdrop of a falling smoke-peat curtain.

The underlying sherry influence is rather subtle. The 32 years are rather surprising, both on the nose and the palate. Insistent maltiness (moist malt base), dried jerky, subtle rubber notes, extinguished ash in the background. Over time, impressions of sweet BBQ marinade, honey mead and spice aromas of green pepper and cumin come through. Black Forest ham, behind it iodine air and a moist Atlantic breeze. At the beginning, the taste structure is carried by a great iodine-oily sweetness, which is complemented by smoked ham, moist driftwood, green malt, lamp oil and wood polish. The taste then flattens surprisingly quickly for a 32-year-old single malt and seems a little "weak on the chest" towards the end, which noticeably affects the overall impression and complexity. The prices now being asked by retailers seem absurd in this context... A few hundred euros are much better spent on old Islay standards from the 70s and 80s, provided you can still get your hands on them!

The nose is extremely beguiling: sweet grapes, dried berries, honey / vanilla cake, apricot, light peat and smoky notes, oak, slightly "wet" barrel, light eucalyptus ... The taste is much stronger than expected: the initial embers in the mouth, spreads and grows into a stately fire. Great, powerful smokes, despite the age -> much more than expected !!! Afterwards the glorious sweetness of the sherry comes through, without dominating. It is an interplay of the sherry and the old barrel, reminiscent of a pot of honey ... Many fruits are found again (grapes / berries / mango / papaya and much more ...), almost untypical for a Laphi ;-) Finish: long with a great fruity smoke note. Conclusion: Extremely complex! Each additional sip opens new associations and the 4cl are drunk faster than wanted. The price is salted, the taste unbelievable! My dearest Laphi so far =)

Tasted on February 16, 2024 in Remscheid. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. Once again it is confirmed that when smoky whisky ages, something falls by the wayside.

Another swimmer

The whisky has a circulation of 5880 bottles worldwide.

I would not have bet on Laphroaig as I can't find any medicinal notes here and the smoke is not prominent. Anyway it's a really good dram who only lacks a little more character. I love it.

Tasting Whiskynotes.be : Laphroaig 32 yo (46,7%, OB 2015, 5880 btl.) Nose: quite… well… normal. Really old Islay whiskies tend to have less peat smoke and sometimes a glorious fruitiness. This one is still rather sooty, with quite a lot of ashy notes. Plenty of menthol and eucalyptus as well. Behind this, there are great sherry notes: toffee, dried figs, cinnamon and brown sugar. Hints of red berries, maybe a little ripe mango in the background. Subtle raspberry vinegar. Roasted peanuts. Mouth: again a deep smokiness and tarry notes up front, something diesel-like and ashes, before it gets to a nice fruitiness. Raisins but also lots of pink grapefruits and a faint tropical note (mango, papaya). Signature medicinal and coastal notes (iodine). Nutmeg and pepper. Leather. A lightly acrid earthiness too. Finish: long, warm and smoky. Vaguely sweet but mostly savoury, with dark cocoa and ginger. This was surprisingly peaty – I’d think of this as modern production rather than a Laphroaig from a previous era, but that doesn’t make it less great. It’s nicely polished and balanced, which makes the price almost fair. Around € 1200 but prices tend to differ. Score: 92/100

Tried at a regulars' table, therefore shorter notes. For me a perfect example of how to bottle Islaymalts that have been stored for a long time. Has practically all of the Laphinotes, only split into 20 sub-notes, more complex, more demanding, but still fully there. Of course not as much smoke or iodine as a 10 year old, that's logical, but fits very well here.