Laphroaig Cask 667 - Distillers Wares Tour Hand Fill

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Ah Laphroaig. My favorite distillery and a long held dream to visit Islay which i finally realised In April of this year. I did the Distillers Wares tour, essentially the standard tour but with an extra tasting of three single casks at the end and the opportunity to hand fill a 250 mL bottle from one using a Valinch. After a lot of sampling, deliberation and then some more sampling I settled on Cask 667. An 11 year old Bourbon cask matured in the traditional damp, ash floors of Dunnage Warehouse 8. An unforgettable day and one i hope to repeat in the near future.
Cask - Bourbon
Region - Islay
Glassware - Mini Glencairn
Served - Neat, non-chill filtered, no colouring, bonus cask char, 59.8% abv
Colour - Gold
Nose - Sea air, new tyres, sweet peat, medicinal Laphroaiginess, black pepper, an old bicycle repair shop, oily.
Palate -Sweet smoke, medicinal, anticeptic, oaky charr, peppery spice, a warmth but no alcohol burn. Hides its 59.8% abv very well
Finish - Long, snuffed out fire,some more rubbery tyre, spicy again, left with a hint of liquorice.
Conclusion - What a whisky! Very complex, every time I come back to this I get something slightly different. The one thing which remains constant is the rubbery tyre nose which continues onto the palate and finish. Awesome stuff but one I'll never get to try again once this bottle goes. Ah well..
Score - 90/100
Slainte

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