Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength
Laphroaig is one of those distilleries that divides opinion like few others. You either love the intensely medicinal, peaty character or you don't go near it. There's rarely much middle ground. The standard 10 year old is their flagship expression, a whisky that's introduced countless people to Islay peat. But this cask strength version takes everything up several notches. Bottled at full strength without chill-filtration, it's Laphroaig in its most powerful, uncompromising form. I've been curious about how the extra ABV would amplify that distinctive character. Let's see what it's like...
Bottle
The Laphroaig bottle follows a fairly traditional design. It's reasonably tall with gentle curves, nothing particularly distinctive about the shape itself. The label is classic Laphroaig: green and white with that familiar logo and typography that hasn't changed much over the years. There's something reassuringly straightforward about it. For the cask strength edition, there's additional labelling to mark it out as special, with the batch number (I have batch #16 here) and ABV clearly displayed. No embossing to speak of, keeping things simple. It's a handsome enough bottle that looks the part. It does exactly what it needs to do without any unnecessary frills.
Colour
This is where Laphroaig gets things right. Non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured, bottled at cask strength (the ABV varies by batch, this batch #16 is 58.5%!). The whisky shows a beautiful golden tawny colour, lighter than you might expect given the intensity of flavour it delivers. Looking at the colour scale, it’s surprisingly high. That upper mid-range colour is genuine, the result of ex-bourbon cask maturation without any artificial enhancement. It's reassuring to see a whisky presented honestly, especially from a major distillery that could easily take shortcuts.
Nose - Peat smoke dominates immediately, but it's not just bonfire ash. There's a powerful medicinal quality here: TCP, iodine, and that distinctive Laphroaig character that some describe as like a hospital or dental surgery. Behind all that smoke sits vanilla sweetness from the bourbon casks, some citrus notes (lemon particularly), and a coastal brininess. It's intense and unapologetically bold.
Palate - The cask strength hits with real force. That peat smoke floods through with earthy, medicinal intensity. There's iodine, seaweed, and tar, all wrapped up with a lovely oily texture that coats your mouth. The bourbon cask influence brings vanilla and a touch of honey sweetness that balances the smoke. There's also black pepper, oak, and that persistent coastal salinity. With a drop of water, it opens up beautifully, revealing more complexity and taming some of the heat without losing any character. The mouthfeel is thick and satisfying.
Finish - Long, warming, and gloriously smoky. The peat lingers on and on, with that medicinal character remaining right to the end. Some gentle sweetness and oak fade gradually, but the smoke is what stays with you. It's the sort of finish that reminds you why people love Laphroaig, bold and uncompromising.
Overall
Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is exactly what it promises: the distillery's classic character turned up to maximum volume. If you like the standard 10 year old, this takes everything you love about it and amplifies it. If you don't like Laphroaig's medicinal peat, this certainly won't change your mind. It's divisive whisky at its finest.
At around £55-60, this represents genuinely excellent value. You're getting cask strength, non-chill-filtered, naturally coloured Islay peat from one of the most famous distilleries on the island. The quality is undeniable, and the commitment to bottling it properly shows real respect for the spirit. A bottle of water is essential alongside it, but that's part of the fun with cask strength whisky.
This isn't for everyone, and Laphroaig wouldn't want it to be. But if you appreciate big, peaty, medicinal Islay whiskies, this is outstanding. It's a bottle I'm very happy to have on my shelf, and one I'll be reaching for when I want something that doesn't pull any punches.
If you’re curious to try this one for yourself, it’s usually available from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange or better yet, find it at your local whisky shop!