High up in the Laphroaig warehouses, summer air gets warm and heavy under the roof. That's where Select spends its final months, in brand new oak, while the Atlantic knocks against the wall below. The smoke hasn't gone anywhere. It's just learned to speak a little softer.
Expert's Description
Laphroaig Select is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oloroso sherry casks, PX sherry casks and 1st fill bourbon quarter casks, finished in virgin American oak and bottled at 40%.
It arrived in May 2014 as a permanent part of the Laphroaig range. There's no age statement, and that was never the point. The distillery calls it their most approachable whisky, built for people who want to get into Laphroaig without being knocked flat by the first sip. In some markets it's sold as Laphroaig Oak Select.
The spirit is the same one that runs through the rest of the family. Peated malt, part of it still turned by hand on the distillery's own malting floors and dried over Islay peat, then double distilled. After that, the cask work starts. Spirit from oloroso sherry casks brings dried fruit and nuttiness. The PX sherry casks add a darker, stickier sweetness. Small quarter casks that once held bourbon give a lot of wood in a short time and pull out vanilla and coconut.
Finally everything is married together and rests for around six months in brand new American oak. You don't see virgin wood very often in Scotch whisky. It adds spice and a broad vanilla sweetness, and it rounds off the medicinal edge. The whisky has no added colour and took gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in both 2020 and 2022.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Peat smoke is right there at the door. Close behind come ripe red berries, a bit of chocolate milk and a sharp lemon note, a lot like sherbet lemons from the sweet shop.
Palate
Sweet to begin with, almost soft. Vanilla, ginger and tart green apple, then the smoke moves in with ash and seaweed. Nutmeg and cinnamon smoulder underneath.
Finish
Long and surprisingly floral. Marzipan and lime linger, and right at the end the medicinal note comes back with a touch of damp oak.
Specifications
Name: Laphroaig Select
Distillery: Laphroaig
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso sherry casks, PX sherry casks, 1st fill bourbon quarter casks, finished in virgin American oak
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Flavour Profile
Smoky · Sherry sweetness · Red fruit · Vanilla · Maritime
Did You Know?
Laphroaig has held a Royal Warrant since 1994, when the then Prince of Wales visited the distillery. In May 2024, now as King Charles III, he granted it a new one. It was part of his very first batch of warrants, and this time the distillery was judged on sustainability as well as the whisky.
See our full range of Laphroaig
Listen to our podcast:
