11/03/2024 Laphroaig

29.99 20yo b.2011 Power and scorched earth (59.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 360b): on this grey and drab day, this should warm us up... Nose: yup, it is immediately comforting as a bothy at the end of a damp hike. It has logs by the fireplace, marmalade toasts, served on an oiled rustic table, frijoles on the hob, and cold smoke from the morning's fire. There are paint pots in a cabinet, suggesting a recent refresh of the furniture, and a basket of fruits, not far from the hearth: plums, cherries, oily nuts. This nose also has its share of earth (a bothy usually has a clay floor, after all), and, suddenly, black liquorice rolls. Something else is present, harder to identify, possibly Bulgomme undercloth. Whatever smoke and peat simply come across as earthy, with hints of a fireplace that has yet to be lit today, and whiffs of cured ham, hanging from the ceiling. Whether the last one is imagined or not is another story. The second nose has minty cardboard left outside overnight, mint crumbles, burnt pine cones, spent mentholated cigarettes, and the remains of a garden fire (burnt leaves, charred sage twigs, ashes. Mouth: phwoar! This is immense! Hot and extremely dry, this is an ashtray that contains embers too -- or red-hot ashes, probably. When the taste buds wake up from the alcoholic shock, they catch a bitter fruitiness, unripe blackcurrants or myrtles. Whichever they are, they are covered in white ash. That grows earthier with time; scorched earth, or earth upon which a farmer has sprayed ashes to rejuvenate it. Despite the bitterness, the stubborn fruit is very welcome. Said bitterness takes the shadow of cut peonies or purple tulips. The second sip is somewhat thicker, and reminds me of some cough syrups, the names of which do not spring to mind. Chewing brings back ashes, fruits, and a drying earthiness. It is pretty numbing too, but where is the trademark TCP? In the far background, maybe. It is rather mercurochrome. Or, in fact, a blend of mercurochrome and Iso Betadine. Finish: a lot mellower than anticipated, it has melted chocolate, soon overtaken by crushed cherries, and cherry liqueur, Mon Chéri style. That liqueur would be intrusive, were it not for the shovelful of ashes that comes with it. Indeed, the mouth is left in the same state as if it had licked an ashtray, and chewed on the fag ends. There is a market for it, I am sure, and, honestly, it feels very appropriate for today. At second sip, the melted chocolate is burnt and coagulated, which half-spoils the bowl of cranberry jam served alongside, Repeated quaffing unveils a growing medicinal lick, a mixture of Iso Betadine, mercurochrome, and hard-to-like cough syrup, while the ash takes more of a supporting role. This is just what one may expect of a twenty-year-old Laffie from a Sherry cask. I personally prefer them a tad fruitier, but -- hey! 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)