New Release: Laphroaig 12 Year Old Official Bottling for the Nordics

This was an official Laphroaig with a strong sherry influence. Laphroaig LAPHROAIG 12yo OB for NORDICS 48% The aroma features apricot and plum jam, a strong mineral note of seaweed, earthy leaf mold, and a powerful peaty iodine character. On the palate, it is bold and spicy with a rich sweet flavor, slightly meaty, barbecue sauce-like sweetness and saltiness, strong iodine and smoky charcoal notes. The finish is long with a meaty peatiness. [Good/Very Good] This is the official 12-year-old bottling of Laphroaig recently released for the Nordic region. It is bottled at a slightly higher strength of 48%. Both the aroma and flavor have fruity jam notes, a strong iodine peatiness typical of official bottlings. At the same time, there is also a strong sherry influence. In particular, after drinking, there's meatiness from the middle to finish, which also reflects some of the nuances found in recent sherry cask releases. However, it does not have an unpleasant sulfury note and instead enhances the richness of flavor. Indeed, finding an official Laphroaig with a strong sherry influence is quite rare and special. Although there have been several special releases for the Nordic region in recent years, since it is a distillery owned by a Japanese company, it would be great if they bottled something like this in Japan as well.