🥃 Whisky van Zuylen

Light, straw color. Oily structure. 25/10/25 (Blind tasting)

Aroma-Delicate；Palate-82/100; Aftertaste-Medium ；

Blend of whiskies aged in Oloroso sherry butts, Pedro Ximenez hogsheads and ex-Bourbon casks, finished in new American oak barrel.

Not to be confused with Laphroaig Select [8.0/10], as this one is a rebrand of it. Like the previous Select, the new Oak Select is a Laphroaig that has embraced its role as a daily sipper with commendable dignity. Both are matured in a combination of four types of casks (five in total: ex-bourbon, virgin oak, quarter casks, PX, and Oloroso), though all of them (except the virgin one) are likely very exhausted. In my opinion, these two whiskies are different, with the rebranded version having significantly reduced the unnecessary spiciness and astringency, making this whisky much more palatable and interesting by letting the amazing distillate do the heavy lifting. I suspect they are using less virgin oak. One of the worst Laphroaigs out there, and at the same time, so solid that it's one of the best heavily peated Scotches in its price range, in my opinion. [edited] Aroma: Sweet but bold and intense coastal peat, typical of Laphroaig. Iodine, sea breeze, sea salt. Not what I expected from their 'most laid-back expression,' for sure, although I'm not gonna complain. The peat has a specific ashy note unique to this bottle, and it’s slightly less potent than in other releases, but it’s still completely recognizable as what it is: a fat-a*s Laphroaig. Aside from that, we find tropical fruits, white grapes, sweet vanilla, and a hint of white pepper. It's not the most complex aroma in the world, but it works very well and is undoubtedly the best aspect of this whisky. Taste: Typical Laphroaig iodine peat, again with some ash/coal. Sweet: more sweet tropical fruits, some white pepper, very sweet vanilla, bitter almond, and some floral notes. The intensity of the typical Laphroaig notes is surprising; it has all the seaweed and seafood one would expect from a “regular” bottling. It doesn’t feel like a young release either; the alcohol is hard to notice. But it doesn’t reach any of the rich nuances of the 10-year-old. Finish: Short and a bit odd. The coastal water feels mixed with dirty water, the coal flavor intensifies and competes with the signature peat, and its sweetness is mixed with slightly astringent and acidic notes. Weaker than the aroma might suggest, and as watery as expected, but pleasant nonetheless. Conclusion: Damn, even the cheapest stuff they put out feels solid to me. God bless 'em. A straightforward peat bomb that is, at the same time, smooth, sweet, and pleasant. It is not a complex Laphroaig, but it works well this way. Its weak point is undoubtedly the texture, which is quite watery, and that it lacks a good punch. But if you can still enjoy a whisky at 40% ABV, and we share a similar palate, it’s one of the best in terms of quality/price ratio on the market right now, no exaggeration. Sometimes I prefer this to the current Quarter Cask [8.4/10] because, at least my last bottle, was much less peated and spicier than it was four years ago. But the regular 10 [9.2/10] is still much more characterful and complex, and, at least in my market, not that much pricier. However, the 10 CS [9.9/10] remains my favorite bottle of all time. Despite all that, this feels solid to me.

Sweet peaty wood. Really simple and not the greatest botĺling.

S: peaty-smoky, very malty, a hint of citrus T: peat, peat, peat, bitter, not round

At the beginning in the aroma of fruit, hospital, smoke, but there is rather less hospital and smoke, the effect is light, balanced, the smoke recedes more and more and the baked fruit emerges. In the taste of roasted fruit, the sweetness of roasted fruit gradually ceases to interest me. In the finish, pope.(like burnt fire), fruit, a bit boring. Overall, the first impression was pleasant, a little softer and more accessible to people Laphroaig, more like an orchard than smoke and hospitals. The aroma enticed more than it gave in the taste. But for someone trying Laphroaig for the first time, it can be a good gateway. Keeping a little in the glass for comparison later took away from her already unscored impression even more. I tried it and I didn't want to go back to her.

For me, there's no good reason to buy the whisky. It's okay, but here, a 10-pack often costs just €5 more. It's definitely not worth it.

In short, for me this is a heavily watered down Laphroaig Quater Cask. I find all the aromas of the Quater Cask here too, just extremely diluted and fleeting. Of course, the finish almost doesn't deserve to be called a finish. And it's gone... It's OK for around €27, but it's always worth spending the extra €14 for the QC. That's it, no more feedback is needed. How other people can still taste special Oloroso or PX notes with this dilution is a mystery to me. But after spontaneously drinking half a bottle or more, anything is possible. Maybe one or the other will also taste port wine barrels or Mizunara oak;-)

A cheaper and more subtle version of Laphroaig 10 and the Quarter cask I should imagine.. Nice colour & good slow arches, here goes...

The spirits were aged in a combination of several types of casks: European sherry casks, American virgin oak casks, bourbon casks and signature quarter casks. The age of aging is not specified. The whisky is bottled at minimum strength with filtration and the addition of color. Nose: fresh, sweetish, smoked aroma, no alcohol. Vanilla, malty sweetness, sea salt, roasted peanuts, seaweed, iodine, coal, tar soap, freshly planed board Palate: Smooth, slightly watery, sweet-salty, malty, smoky. Vanilla, black pepper, charcoal, ash, malty sweetness, sea salt, iodine, nori chips, smoked fish, bitterness of young tannins Finish: vanilla, malty sweetness, black pepper burn, ash, iodine, seaweed, unpleasant oak bitterness on the aftertaste Balance: young, drinkable, inexpensive entry-level malt in the Laphroaig line. The aroma is not bad, but the taste and aftertaste reveal the use of not the highest quality, possibly heavily refilled casks. Apparently, the selection was made with the goal of creating a clear introductory release at a democratic price. N21,P20,F19,B20

This Oak Select is a little different from the Laphroaig Select. While the Select presents a greater variation in notes, the Oak Select shows a stronger presence of bourbon barrels. I think the vatting of Laphoaig Select is composed of a greater variety of Sherry casks, which contribute to its greater complexity, and in direct comparison, Oak Select has a vatting with more ex-bourbon casks. Oak Select features sweeter notes and a more dominant fruity character, much more typical of ex-Bourbon.

A contender for the title of best whisky for a trip to Islay. I don't know if the marketing story about the five casks is true, but this really does have an awesome range of flavors and notes.

Nose: vanilla, honey, smoke Taste: more watery than the others. Smoke, salt, iodine, vanilla. Long finish with bitter salt, pepper, vanilla. Oak is dominant.