Laphroaig 25 year old, Single Malt Whisky, 70cl

An exceptional cask-strength Laphroaig. It’s spent around a quarter of a century in bourbon barrels, which have proven an effective partner to the characteristically peaty, medicinal Laphroaig profile. Comes in a gorgeous branded display case.

Laphroaig, pronounced 'La-froyg', is an all-malt Scotch whisky from the remote island of Islay in the Western Isles of Scotland. Laphroaig is a Gaelic word, and means 'the beautiful hollow by the broad bay'.

Nose: This opens on big, smoky muscular peat notes. There are spices, and liquorice, as well as a big dose of salt. This whisky has become slightly sweeter in recent years, and it appears beautifully on the nose, amidst the classic iodine/sticking plasters and cool wood smoke we love.

Palate: Seaweed-led, with a hint of vanilla ice cream and more than a whiff of notes from the first aid box (TCP, plasters etc). The oak is big, and muscles its way into the fore as you hold this whisky over your tongue. An upsurge of spices develop – cardamom/black pepper/chilli.

Finish: Big and drying, as the savoury, tarry notes build up with an iodine complexity.