LAPHROAIG 1998 Aged 20 Years 9th Edition PEATY ARTIST Signatory Vintage

Nose : refined, distinguished. Heady florals (lily, hyacinth), ash, candied lemon, roasted pineapple, marshmallow, lavender honey and a chocolatey peat play the leading roles in a truly incredible first nose. Allowed to breathe, the fruit takes on more breadth (gooseberry, blackcurrant, wild strawberry). It then becomes increasingly medicinal (tiger balm, savory). A magnificent note of black truffle now floods the palate.

Palate : rich, radiant. The very chalky attack brings to mind cliffs eroded by relentless waves. Peat flirts with anthracite, and fleur de sel seeps into coconut milk and the same roasted pineapple. The mid-palate is characterized by incredibly subtle notes of Havana cigar. Gradually, the chromatic palette takes on particularly bright yellow tones (straw, Mirabelle plum, pear, lemon).

Overall : long, minimalist. The very delicately outlined contours of the flavour palette use charcoal to sketch the history of an intensely seductive peat that goes right back to the very origins of whisky. Next, aromatic plants (sage, verbena), ash, salt and grey pepper spread evenly across the palate. On the retro-nasal olfaction, grated ginger, nutmeg and acacia honey draw the tasting out indefinitely. With breath-taking finesse, the empty glass is smoky, fruity (pear), lemony, spicy (curry) and exotic (passion fruit).