For my last whisky review of the month I have an older Laphroaig. This is a 21 yo distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2012 from a single refill hogshead by Whisky Import Nederland. I don’t think I’ve ever had an older bourbon cask Laphroaig that I’ve not liked a lot and this one is no exception. I opened it a few days ago and have been enjoying it greatly. I purchased this bottle a long time ago and had it sitting around ever since for no good reason. Now that it’s open, I don’t expect it will make it to the end of March. Here are my notes.

Laphroaig 21, 1990 (52.6%; Whisky Import Nederland; refill hogshead 5936; from my own bottle)

Nose: Bright, carbolic peat (Dettol) with a big dose of lemon. On the second sniff there’s some cereals in there too. A little sweeter here too with time with just a bit of vanilla emerging. With more time there’s salt here as well. A few drops of water emphasize the sweetness but everything else is still here.

Palate: Comes in sweeter on the palate but otherwise as indicated by the nose. Very approachable at full strength; good texture. Some cracked pepper on subsequent sips. The peat expands as well and takes on a more coastal character: there’s iodine, kelp and brine. Three drops of water and the coastal notes expand.

Finish: Long. The smoke gets a little ashy as it goes but otherwise no new development. With time, the ashy smoke picks up a hint of tar at the very end. As on the palate with water.

Comments: Lovely bourbon cask Laphroaig. Missing some complexity—which you might want/expect in an older malt—but otherwise flawless.

Rating: 89 points.