My first pour of the Laphroaig 15 left me wondering whether it could live up to its promise. Here was a 15-year-old, entirely ex-bourbon-matured Laphroaig bottled at 46% ABV, with no chill filtration or added colour. On paper, it offered much of what whisky drinkers have long asked the distillery to put together. After spending more than a month with the open bottle, I came back to it for a proper look. I’m glad I did.
The nose has opened up considerably. Powdered sugar and vanilla lead, followed by a slightly medicinal note, wet rock, and a measured amount of smoke. It is unmistakably Laphroaig, but it is not an overwhelming blast of peat. That balance makes the sweeter ex-bourbon character easy to appreciate, and the whole thing is much more inviting than I remembered from the first pour.
On the palate, this whisky rewards a second sip. The first gives your palate a chance to settle in, not because the alcohol is fierce, but because the flavours are fairly subtle at first. Go back, and the vanilla becomes clearer, with wet rock, smoke, and just a slight touch of iodine following it. At 46%, it has enough strength to carry those notes without feeling hot. This is a restrained, nicely composed peated whisky rather than a contest to see how much smoke you can take.
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READ THE STORYThe presentation matters, too. Laphroaig states on the box that this expression is not chill-filtered and has no added colour. I love seeing that reassurance in print. The distillery already offers plenty of higher-strength options, so I would not pretend this is its first bottle for enthusiasts.
Still, these choices give the 15-year-old a strong case against something like Lagavulin 16, particularly if you value a higher ABV and a clear account of what is in the bottle. At around $160 when I picked it up, it is not cheap, but it does not feel unreasonable for what it delivers.
I would not put this alongside the best older Laphroaig 18-year-olds I have tried, or a particularly memorable older 15. But it has grown into a bottle I genuinely enjoy. I give it an 86, which for me is a buy-again score, and I may want a backup when this one runs out. Have you had a whisky that changed your mind after the bottle had been open for a while?
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For a closer look at the bottle and a more detailed tasting, you can watch my full video review.
