ralfy review 793 - Laphroaig 10yo @ 40%vol (2019) 

I appreciate the re-reviews over the years. Consistency is everything in whisky. Thanks Ralfy.

I used to work in the Laphroaig bottling factory. 12 hours nightshift placing the tubes on a convayor belt, it wasn't the best job.

Laphroaig 10 is still one of my favorites, but has no doubt become less smokey and more sweet in the last 6-7 years. Still good and an amazing bargain for the price, but not as extreme as it once was...

My whishky journey started with Laphroaig 10. Since then I have hardly cared about other Scotches, Bourbon or Irish whiskeys. Love the peaty smoke of this single malt!! Just drip, stir, sip, savor and let the island of Islay show in your lowball glass.....Slàinte mhath folks!!

I'm already waiting for the 6th review of Laphroaig! See you guys in 2021.

I was first introduced to Laphroaig by my Dad almost 50 years ago and it’s been one of my favorites over the years that I’ve purchased many times. I’ve always taken it neat. Of course my palette has matured & its not possible for me to do an A/B comparison between new & old, but it’s safe to say the long ago bottle was an order of magnitude more peaty and smoky, with the iodine component very much more to the fore. It was definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone. Very medicinal. I think Laphroaig was one of the few whiskeys imported and sold during Prohibition in the US because it was believed to have medicinal benefits! I agree with your take on the current version and the evolution over the years. I just happened to open a new bottle of our 86 proof the other day. It’s definitely more accessible, still very tasty, and has echos of the older bottling, but is tame by comparison. I prefer the cask strength 10 year old, but unfortunately it’s vey expensive.

I could never decide which I preferred between Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10. I recently bought another Laphroaig 10 and noticed a definite change, something I can only describe as a “thinness” that wasn’t present previously. It’s still a lovely whisky, but the Ardbeg 10 now wins hands down.

To me, it tastes like iodine and bandaids and it smells like a hospital ward. Lol. Love this stuff.

Laphroaig 10 is my favorite - it reminds me of kelp on the beach after a big sea and burning peat after a bushfire. Magic.

"and i'm proud ta be an american.." because Laphroaig comes in at 43%alcohol.

Cask strength Laphroaig 10 is my all time favorite malt!

after all of these years i've been following ralfy, one of the things i really appreciate the re-reviews it brings nostalgia of older views i remember seeing!

It's not just the taming down of the medicinal notes the tarry notes etc. for me it's the loss of the - eyes shut through the nose exhalation - note, a hint of rotten head of the sea loch at low tide, stinky kelp etc. The ability to transport yourself to the west highland foreshore from anywhere in the world with a single dram. Sure it's still a decent dram and I won't be putting it down, it's just that I won't be picking it up. Which for me is like the loss of a relative, sorely missed.

Like other people here are saying in the comments, across the pond here in Canada and the United States we get it bottled at 43%, makes a difference, yes there may be better Islay malts, Ardbeg, QC, cask strength, but the 10 will always have a place in my bar. Cheers Ralfy!🍻Thank you for the re-review

Great review, as always! When I was first introduced to Laphroaig 10 yo in 1989, it was love at first sip, and it started my single malt journey. Yes, the change has been obvious, as has been with so many other single malts like Talisker and Lagavulin. I’ve moved on to the Laphroaig 10 yo cask strength and others, like Ardbeg Ugeadail, Lagavulin 8 yo, Longrow, and Port Charlotte 10 yo Heavily Peated, etc. all at higher strength, to satisfy my peat cravings. I can’t completely turn my back on my old sentimental favorite though, as I always keep a bottle in the cabinet. The 10 yo is much more readily available in bars and restaurants in my hometown now than ever before and I very much enjoy introducing it to my friends, mostly for their reactions...almost as a test. When they react as I did 30 years ago and their eyes light up, I gladly provide suggestions for their journeys.

Thanks Ralfy for repeating this basic rule. 40% is an heresy.

Great review Ralfy. I just purchased a bottle a few days ago. I totally agree with you that Laphroaig has tamed down a bit from the first time I tried it about 9 years ago. Too bad.😔🤙

You're so right Ralfy, the 10Y suffers badly bottled at 40%. It's too thin and weedy to counterpoint the peatyness. Personally I much prefer the Quarter Cask as my Laphroaig expression

The Laphroaig 10 is a staple of my budget whisky cupboard. Bottlings may change over the years but so do we.

I'll be sipping Laphroaig 10 as I watch this review. I love being able to do that. However, as I'm in America, I have the 43% ABV bottling. This is the whiskey that started my love of peat, and it's my favorite peated daily drinker. Currently putting aside some cash and hunting for a bottle of Octomore. Love your videos, Ralfy, and I'm looking forward to seeing you do another series on bourbon. In the words of the Japanese; Kanpai!

Best Laphroaig I've had was a 6yo from the Good Spirits Co in Glasgow. One of the best peated whiskies I've ever had

I have to agree that it has changed. I haven't had Laphroaig 10 in quite some time. When I tried this recent bottle I noticed it tasted more tame, and I was noticing the medicinal notes more and the smoke less. When I drink Laphroaig or Ardbeg, I am most certainly not looking for "tame", thank you! I thought it was just my own perceptions and experience reflected in my tasting, but you confirmed for me that the stuff in the bottle has changed. Thank you for that!

Should note: as one ages, you lose more and more taste buds. So whiskey will also taste different over the years as a person ages. But still fascinating info. I love this whiskey as well

Thank you for all the nice whisky reviews

admire your depth of knowledge - I can’t afford proper whiskey - while living in Japan enjoyed Shochu - which is strong and taken in moderation, healthy - not much sugar etc - lime, Yozu, lemon, hot or cold - great

Holy crap, thank you Ralfy!! - I really thought I'm going mad! I am (was) a Laphroaig 10yo fan for ages, but in recent years, saw myself trying various other Laphroaig products, just because the 10 yo became boring to me, unfortunately no variant came near to my memories I had of my earliest bottles of Laphroaig. And thanks to your explanation I can be (somewhat) certain, that I'm not (yet) ready for the loony bin, but Laphroaig just changed their way of production.

This week was my first contact with Islay peat whiskeys. My first glass of Laphroaig 10 was overwhelming and somewhat disappointing. Two days later I tried Lagavulin 8 this time and was equally amazed and fascinated. I did not know that smoky aromas could marry so well with a sweetness that little by little it was coming out of its hiding place behind a smoke screen. Today I just gave Laphroaig 10 a second chance and this time I have managed to tune in to what this whiskey is capable of offering. It has taken me to Scorsese's movie "Shutter Island" over the cliff, into the cave with the fire, into the gloomy corridors of a drug-scented asylum. And suddenly, in two drinks it has turned into a placid beach gathering on a starry night with friends around a candle. And the anise, raisins and candied dark fruit have come out behind the same mysterious smokescreen from the beginning. What a trip, friends!

Dear Laphroaig: Please bring back the tar, soot, & ash.

Hello Ralfy, nice Review Old School i love tht format and style THX a lot for al that Years😍🤩

I remember when I first tasted a Laphroaigh in the 90th. It felt like I sat in the sunset of a small fishing harbour. The air was filled with smells from the salty water and seeweed, tarred hawsers and wooden boats. That's not there anymore.

Hot damn this whisky is fantastic! I was not expecting to like it this much right away. Very interesting combination of smoke, iodine, medicine, mud, flowers, nuts, honey, sea... punchy but goes down ridiculously easy at 43% (got lucky, they got the best one to Brazil for once), leaves your tongue numb afterwards. 5 stars for me. I've been a Speyside guy, but Laphoraig, you got me... I didn't love my Talisker 10, wasn't sure if peat was for me. This laphoraig changes things, now I'm interested. Quarter Cask is next no question.

It's my second single malt i ever bought for myself, it's lovely to me

The 10 year cask strength is heavenly and worth the $63.00 in my local liquor store

Thanks for an honest review and unspoken rip to look out for a different Laphroig experience outside the standard. And I‘m utterly curious about the upcoming extras now, waiting on the edge of my seat! ☺️

So true. Laphroaig 10 CS (with a few drops of a water) is the most intense peat I have ever come across. It’s what I live for lol.

Yesterday my friend generously delivered unto me a bottle of Laphroaig 10 (belated buffday gift); would have preferred the quarter cask or better still Port Charlotte......however, a gift is a gift Ralfy and I'm never one to turn away a bottle of whisky. As our guest, I opened and shared a newly acquired bottle of Cotswolds followed by the Glengoyne 12. I will shortly dive into the Laphroaig and compare notes; I hope to be able to embrace and enjoy this classic Islay offering! 😁

That room just calls to me. I'd love to just sit, talk and sip some scotch with this man! I can almost smell this room and feel the slight chill in the air.

Great review as usual love the quarter cask have not had the 10 for a while, will get on my shelf. I picked up the Glenallachie Ralfy 10 year anniversary bottle at the weekend which is my most favourite bottle thanks for the last 10 years mate looking forward to the next 10.

Thank you Ralfy for helping me understand good whisky. I recently found my favorite, which is Highland Park 12 Viking Honour. Thank you for your great reviews and marvelous information.

hi Mr Ralfy my maltfriend, over here in Montreal its much restrictions on alcohol...let say that the market is much tighter than the Europa, but fortunately I can drink a bottle of Laphroig at 43% and since I am still a beginner I love this single malt ... however continues the excellent work Mr. ralfy see you at the next maltmoment.!Greets from Mtl.!

Huge fan of Quarter Cask! I had a bottle of 10 year and sold it to a mate in work today. It had sat there long enough.

It's hard to disagree since I live in the United States and get the privilege of 43%. Laphroaig 10 is still my favorite whiskey but agree 46% is where it should be.

I was in love with Laphroaig 10 when I first tried it in 2014. Since then, it's been hard to tell if it's just my palette's familiarity with it, or it's just not as good anymore, or both. Even the 10 year cask strength just doesn't live up to my first experience with Laphroaig. The Quarter Cask came close, I think, and I'd definitely like to try the Lore.

In the U.S., Laphroaig 10 sells for under $50 and is bottled at 43%. Your review is on the mark...they've "homogenized" it. I prefer the Cask Strength 10, myself (which sells for under $70 here).

To me always preferred the 10 over the 15. I really enjoy the 2022 version, its a little toned down but delivers a great complex Isla flavour. £30 a bottle is more affordable and value for money than the Lagavulin 16 or 8 year olds or other duffers. Enjoyed the review, maybe things should not always stay the same. Extra Cold Guiness anyone??

Thank you for confirming what I’ve felt over the last year or so. Laphroaig was my favourite single malt, the malt that made me love Islay malts, but it’s no longer that malt. The tar has definitely retreated as has that maritime whip of the sea. I’d love to try the alternate version you describe at the end.

The last bottle of whiskey I bought was Laphroaig Quarter Cask. I loved it. Not quite as good as the Ardbeg Uigeadail I bought before that but sweeter and lighter if less peaty and smoky. I still have some of both left.

It's like a hunk of charcoal, wrapped in a Band-Aid, and dipped in honey. Delicious!!! A splash of water really opens it up too.

We get the 43% bottling here in Canada and it’s worth every penny. Nothing beats a peated whisky on a winter’s night!

"Clothes peg", fascinating, in the USA it's a "clothes pin". Laphroaig 10 was a whiskey that took me a decade to get comfortable with. Incredible nose and taste but so extreme. Took me a decade to appreciate. Now that I'm onboard it's great value.

I'm trying this for the first time while watching. I mostly taste tobacco smoke at first. I'm not a smoker, but there is something very reassuring and warming about that taste. After a few drops of water, the nose gets a little lighter and sweeter but I still get that interesting tobacco finish. Thanks Ralfy, great review on a very available single malt I can find in most supermarket's in the U.S. at 43% just like you said. I'm glad I finally picked this up! Cheers!

Totally agree about Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength. Something truly beautiful about that malt.

Imho. Quarter cask is the best of all Laphroaig offerings. 46% and non chill filtered.

Rock on Ralfy! Enjoying a dram of the 43% from my local TJ's. Thanks for these masterclasses.

Quarter cask and cask strength are great 👍

43% in Canada and this is love, pure and simple.

We’re just enjoying a bunahabhain 12 yr old at the moments ralfie. Not your typical Islay, in fact reminiscent of a speyside. Really nice though, really nice. Especially for £36.00 a bottle from Waitrose. A delectable dram .

The 10 CS is indeed quite special, very hard to find though and available on their own website only occassionally throughout the year. As a supermarket single malt I will add while I’ve seen Lagavulin and Ardbeg steadily go up in price over the years Laphroaig 10 has been steady. And that is worth commending and why I picked up another bottle today

I'd pick pretty much any other bottle of peated whiskey with higher ABV over Laphroaig 10 at this price point. But yesterday I came across 35 bucks a bottle and that's a steal. It's still peated, still great taste.

I see "Laphroaig" "Ralfy" and "2019" in my recommended... I click.

I preferred Laphroaig 10 back when it was more tarry...

Thanks Ralfy for re-reviewing this as I just bought a bottle and was wondering if it has changed since last you reviewed it. Here in South Africa, it is 43% ABV and trust me, it does make a difference. Ita a great scotch. I really do like it. Strong peat but complimented nicely with the other flavors.

I once said: It smells like a burning hospital crashing in the baltic sea. And it tastes like heaven. and its my favorite, a dream since the first smell and sip.

I only drank Laphroaig 10 for the first time this February and I can barely believe how different the bottle I bought this week is. It used to be a filthy beast with thick bonfire ash and smoked kipper notes and is now almost mannered with, as you identified, leaf mint aromas. It's not bad but it's not what I thought I was buying. :(

10yo cs: every year a must to have. 10yo 40% not (more) for me. 10yo 46% (or 48%) would be great . Slangevar Ralfy. 🥃🥃

Ralfy legend of youtube!

this dram goes down so easily imo. I just have it neat, have had two bottles and enjoyed both immensely. I also enjoyed Old Pulteney 12 and the Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair. But for a lovely peaty salty experience I love this dram for the price. Currently on Bushmills 10 - loved your review of that whiskey too. Thank you for your work!

Got my first Islay about a month ago. Laphroaig select. It took about 6 months of back and forth in my head about peat because I was a little scared to dive into the peat but I loved it.

Ralfie, you're a giant!

Laphroaig was the first whisky I could enjoy. I have tasted a few before that, not understanding why anyone would drink the stuff but Laphy hooked me good. It's still alot of hit n miss when tasting new stuff, there are many whiskies I will not touch again. Some suit me some don't -fascinating! The list of good and bad is growing long, will soon start to forget!!

Good to get re-reviews of baseline Scotches Ralfy. From your re-views of both Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10 it seems that in your opinion Ardbeg has been more consistent and truer to itself than Laphroaig over the years?

An extraordinary dram with the thickest scotch mist ever is G&M’s Glen Grant 2008 cask strength. Not expensive (£45) but very hard to find. Even G&M have none left. Only known source Luvians, Cupar (Fife). Definitely a 90+ malt mark in the making. Next time your in Scotland give me a shout and I’ll give you a bottle from my fast depleting stock!

Laphroaig 10 needs to be at 48%!

On with the show, Ralfy. Ever on my friend!

I was a regular buyer of the standard 40% 10-yo in the UK. Gave it a break over a few years. Now I live in North America and recently bought a 10-yo @ 43% ABV and it is not as good as the older 40% version I remember. off balance. I think the Quarter Cask is now the better dram.

The ordinary 10 year, 43% Laphroaig readily available here in the States is one of my favorite sippers. I'm one of those odd folks who actually LIKE it, and have since first sip in '83. (I describe its immediate flavor as tincture of iodine that has been filtered through a peat bog.)

Due to the ubiquitous-ness of Laphroaig 10, at least here in Israel, it is relatively easy to get hold of old bottlings from 5, 6, 7 years ago and compare these to today’s batches. What you find is that in years gone by, the seaweed TCP pungency peatiness was much more dominant, with a good mouthful of burnt creamy cereal and white fruits and the wood spices more up front. Today’s offering is less TCP and more burnt plastic or rubber pungent with far more sweet caramel and vanilla dominating. Still, the 10-Year-Old is not as bad as the NAS Quarter Cask, bottled at 48% abv, you would think it would be closer to the magnificent 10-Year-Old Cask Strength but alas, because of the young whisky, it’s lacking integration.

Wow! I put Laphroaig 10 score of 85 points. Very close to yours! I completely agree with the taste and smell! Thanks for the review!

Great review Ralfy. Thanks. I got out my bottle of 43% as I listened. Cheers from Colorado.

Totally honest and outstanding sir!

Heavy words Ralfy, heavy words. Sad too see Laphroaig 10 going down too, but that's name of the game nowadays. Volume goes up, quality goes down, it's just law of nature. I really hope this whisky boom ends soon, so people "forget" malt whiskies and we can have quality malts again. I really hope so.

I'm sticking with Ardbeg 10... and the Uigeadail.

Thank you Ralfy. I think I’ll just stick to the Quarter Cask. I feel that every 40% I have, be it Jameson, Glenlivet or any other whisky, it feels a little thin and “watery”. I’m considering just to stop buying anything below 43 or preferably 46% going forward as it seems to hold the flavors much better.

I finally thought of a malt mention that I thought of when I tasted Longmorn 16 for the first time last night... “Miraculously Magnificent Malty Mouthgasms” or in the context of a person, “mouthgasmers”. I know it’s not a real word, but it should be after having such a tasty dram :)

i finally got a bottle today and it is so good, now one of my favorites like maccallan. its nice a smoky nice nose. the taste is not strong, i taste the smoke, caramel, honey after tase to me and nice and smooth. it was $54 here and it is a great buy and add ti my collection.islay and highlands are my favorites.

This was my first peated whisky and I loved it. 💕

Wouldn’t it be great I’d all distilleries were independent and had carte blanch to distill their whisky the way they wanted and really craft some distinctive creations. What an adventure in tasting that would be.

48% Vol like most others Laphroaig and the 10y old would be the best selling Laphroaig. Like you say Ralfy, even with 46% this would be a megaseller. But as usual.... big company = odd product management!

Laphroaig is the best for me. Drink some and do not wash the glass. Leave it dry by it self. Smell the empty glass next day.

Just got round to this because I found it in my travels. Had to come back to this review to see if my experience jibed with yours ralfy. Yep, it does. I like it but it's an 84 for sure. So far the only one of my experiments that have been wholly satisfying is Glen Scotia Double Cask. A NAS offering that is very pleasant to drink and intriguing. One of these days I'll make it into the big city and find some Arran or Victoriana or maybe even Bunnahabhain.

Great review, I love laphroaig, thanks for your expert thoughts as always.

The first time i'm happy to be in the States. 43% does go a long way.

In times when some other Isla brands are going up in price and down in flavor, this has remained quality in both terms.

According to Ralfy every whisky is worse than it used to be. Also TAX on alcohol is something we Brits will always pay for. But as I'm having a dram of this fine whisky, I find it glorious, the peat level is sublime with the mint and spice. Also wonderfully smooth.

It's a little sweeter than I remember; still quite a dazzling whisky. It's a once-in-a while treat.

Great review, Ralfy. Really appreciate it - this was one of the first whiskies I ever tried in my teens. Might need to revisit it now, it's been a while. The point about the US strength was interesting - I didn't know that. Lived there for two years and imported bottles were prohibitively expensive, to the point that I'd wait until someone was coming over from Scotland to bring me a bottle in their luggage.

I'm one of the lucky ones at 43%. I got away with a little more water than Ralfy used.

I decided some time ago to not buy anything bottled at less than 43% at least, period! Ardbeg10 is in a different league due to higher strength and the absence of chill-filtration and I don't give a damn that they charge like 10€ more.

Your 100% bang on about the TPC and it's not a frontal note but it's there oh its there

yes it has changed but still a lovely dram.