Laphroaig
The whisky of peat smoke, iodine and sea air that you either love or hate. Everything about the flavour, the varieties, how to drink it and the glass that goes with it.
Islay's most distinctive whisky
Laphroaig (pronounced: la-frojg) is a single malt whisky from the Scottish island of Islay, made since 1815 at a distillery by the sea near Port Ellen. The name means something like 'the beautiful hollow by the broad bay'. Laphroaig still malts some of its barley itself and dries it over peat fires, giving the whisky its intense smoky flavour.
The result is a whisky unlike any other: peat smoke, iodine, tar, seaweed and salt, with a surprising sweetness underneath. Laphroaig calls itself 'the most richly flavoured Scotch whisky in the world' and has held Charles's Royal Warrant since 1994, when he was still Prince of Wales. The brand is part of Beam Suntory.
In brief
What types of Laphroaig are there?
Laphroaig 10 Years
The icon. Ten years in ex-bourbon casks: peat smoke, iodine, seaweed and a sweet, vanilla-like undertone.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Finishing in small quarter casks adds more oak, vanilla and coconut alongside the smoke. Bolder and fuller than the 10.
Laphroaig Select
A blend of five cask types, including sherry and new American oak. The smoothest, most approachable Laphroaig.
Laphroaig Lore
A blend of whiskies of different ages and from different casks, including oloroso sherry. Rich, smoky and with an almost eternal finish.
Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak
The 10 Years with a finish in oloroso sherry casks. Dried fruit and toffee alongside the smoke.
Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength
The 10 Years undiluted, at cask strength. Intense, oily and explosively smoky. Dilute to taste with water.
Start with the 10 Years; if you find it too intense, the Select is softer.
Peat smoke, iodine and salt, with sweet vanilla underneath
Smoke & sea
Peat smoke, iodine, tar and seaweed, as if you were standing on the beach near the distillery. Beneath that, vanilla and a hint of sweetness.
Oily and full-bodied
Thick and full-bodied, with smoke, salt and pepper, and a surprising sweetness from bourbon cask wood. The Quarter Cask has more vanilla and coconut.
Long and smoky
The smoke lingers for minutes, with salt, licorice and a dry, medicinal note.
Flavor profile of Laphroaig 10 Years. The Select is softer, while the Cask Strength is more intense and powerful.
Three ways to drink Laphroaig
Drink Laphroaig neat, at room temperature, from a glass that concentrates the aromas. A drop of water opens it up; ice closes it down.
Neat, with a drop of water
Pour 30 ml into a tulip-shaped tasting glass and let it sit for a few minutes. Then add a few drops of water: the smoke softens and the sweet vanilla comes through.
Glass: tasting glass →On the rocks
You can, but in moderation: one large ice cube in a tumbler chills the whisky without diluting it too quickly. The ice softens the smoke, which some people prefer.
Glass: tumbler →Penicillin
50 ml blended Scotch, 20 ml lemon juice, 20 ml honey-ginger syrup, shaken, and topped with 10 ml Laphroaig as a smoky 'float'. The modern classic with Islay whisky.
Go to the recipe →Cocktails with Laphroaig
A splash of Laphroaig adds a smoky layer to any cocktail. It works best in these classics.
Penicillin
Blended Scotch, lemon, honey and ginger, with a float of Islay whisky. Smoky and warming.
Smoky Old Fashioned
The classic Old Fashioned with Laphroaig instead of bourbon. For those who love smoke.
Hot Toddy
Hot water, honey, lemon and whisky. With Laphroaig, it gets a smoky, almost medicinal note.
Whisky cocktails
All cocktails with whisky in one place, from Whiskey Sour to Rusty Nail.The right glass for Laphroaig
A tulip-shaped tasting glass to separate the smoke and sweetness, or a heavy tumbler for whisky on the rocks and an Old Fashioned. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Laphroaig
Is your question not listed? Check out our cocktail recipes or contact us.
To the cocktail recipes →