Laphroaig Distillery celebrates its second centenary this year, and so it makes an ideal choice for toasting to Robbie Burns this Sunday. The distinctive smoky, peaty character of the Laphroaig 10 Year Old is cherished around the world, and as brand ambassador Simon Brooking put it during a recent visit to UVA Wine Bar, “These days we are actually having trouble keeping up with demand, worldwide. This is a golden era for fine single malts.”
Brooking poured the Quarter Cask, and a special, limited bottling called Cairdeas (matured first in bourbon casks, then finished for a year in sherry hogsheads). Both are splendid variations of the Laphroaig theme, centred firmly around the 10 Year Old.
If you have a bit of time, pour your dram, then let it sit on a dining table or kitchen counter for an hour or so, let the aromas fill the air. Marvelous. You might almost hear someone from the MacLeod clan rumble through your backyard on their way to a Burns party. One thing is for sure. The Laphroaig will be the spoonful of medicine that helps the haggis go down.
