Review #67: Laphroaig Distillery Exclusive (2005 Bourbon to PX Cask)

As mentioned in Review #56 (Laphroaig 2011 Oloroso Sherry Cask from the distillery), we are now siphoning off the distillery miniatures that we bottled at the end of our Distillers Wares tour. I’m not usually a souvenir type of person, but these 250 mL bottles are an exception. They really made the trip worth it – and now that we’re on the last drops, I guess it’s time to think about revisiting Islay. While the other younger Oloroso sherry cask 2011 miniature is sliiiiightly more of our favorite, this one is also equally phenomenal.

Quick overview of our scoring system. Note that we try to give a “5” for an average whisky, which is lower than standard whisky scoring guides (typically around 80).

Additional Information

• Mashbill: Peated barley
• Age: 13 years (first filled in 2005 and bottled in 2018)
• Cask: Bourbon to PX sherry cask
• ABV: 54.1%

About Laphroaig

• Read our review of the Laphroaig distillery (an excellent place to visit, especially because you get to bottle some exclusive single casks that you would never be able to buy!)
• Was sold to America during the Prohibition because Ian Hunter was able to successfully convince the government that the “iodine character” of the whisky was a sign of its medicinal properties
• Their whisky is almost all aged partially in bourbon casks – and specifically casks from Maker’s Mark
• Had an infamous legal dispute with Lagavulin when their water was diverted the Kilbride dam (the peated water of the dam was suspected to be behind the brand’s success)
• Famously has a Friends of Laphroaig program in which a bottle of Laphroaig gives you a square foot of land on their distillery that you can then claim and visit when you go to the distillery
• Review of our Laphroaig Triple Wood (7.5/10)
• Review of our Laphroaig 2011 Oloroso Sherry distillery cask (9/10)