Laphroaig 10 Year Old 'Misspelt Edition'

This is the standard Laphroaig 10, the bottle that has introduced more people to peated whisky than almost any other, here in a Misspelt Edition where a typo on the label turns an everyday dram into a small curiosity. The whisky inside is the same 57.3% Islay single malt that has been the distillery's calling card for decades.

Laphroaig sits on Islay's south coast near Port Ellen, and it makes no apology for its style. The peat here is heavily medicinal, all iodine, antiseptic and coastal salt, a flavour people tend to either fall for on the first sip or take a while to come round to. Ten years in ex-bourbon oak is enough to round the edges without taming the smoke, and this is the expression the distillery leans on to show what it is really about.

The nose is unmistakable: iodine and antiseptic, salty sea air and damp ash, with lemon zest and a little vanilla underneath. The palate is bold for 40%, sweet vanilla and burnt caramel arriving first, then smoked ham, brine, black pepper and a briny, medicinal edge. It finishes medium-long on salted caramel, old leather, oak and a last iodine tingle. Water tames the smoke and pulls out the sweeter side, so it is worth trying both ways.

An everyday Islay benchmark and a fair place to start if you want to understand what heavy peat tastes like.

How to Serve

Neat, in a Glencairn, or with a splash of water to soften the smoke. It also stands up well over a single large cube of ice on a warm evening.

Where to Drink It

Black Rock in Shoreditch, for peat among friends. Soho Whisky Club, if you want to explore Islay side by side. Boisdale, for smoke with a bit of atmosphere.

Food Pairings

Blue cheese is the classic move, Roquefort against that smoke. A few smoked oysters work just as well.