Jason's Whiskey Corner: Laphroaig
Jason Radowsky M'08
Welcome to the wonderful and fulfilling world of Scotch whisky. Let me preface this review by stating that while there are whisky ratings, your personal taste is far more important. I have chosen Laphroaig as the first to review both because it represents one extreme of the whisky taste spectrum and because it is sitting on my shelf. This particular bottle is a 10-year-old single malt, the most common variety of Laphroaig, and will run about $30-$35 for a 750ml bottle with protective cardboard cylindrical case. As mentioned before, this is a very powerfully tasting malt, and is not for the first-time whisky drinker. The barley is dried over a peat fire. While this method is not unique, the type of peat itself is exclusive to, "the remote island of Islay off the West coast of Scotland." The taste of the peat smoke is imbedded in the barley and gives this drink its very distinctive pungent aroma and flavor. Laphroaig is the kind of drink that puts hair on the chest so to speak. This is what every gentleman should imbibe when his lady-friend leaves him and he is sitting in a darkened room listening to Mozart's Requiem. It will remind him that he is a man and not the emasculated mass rocking in the corner of the room like a Romanian orphan. (I'm sorry, this is my problem and I'll deal with it.) An added feature of purchasing a bottle of this excellent whisky is that it comes with a card to fill out and return which entitles you to one square-foot of land on the Island of Islay. In return for leasing this vast estate, the distillery (est. 1815) will give you a dram when you visit and will take you out to see your plot. Since you are a landowner, you can assume the title of Laird which is simply Gallic for "landowner." Cheers For more information, visit www.lafroaig.com