New Release: Laphroaig 1997-2016 BBR 'BERRY'S BEST' for La Maison du Whisky 60th ANNIVERSARY 52.2%

Envious of the cool label. The inside was also good. Laphroaig LAPHROAIG 1997-2016 BBR 'BERRY'S BEST' for La Maison du Whisky 60th ANNIVERSARY 52.2% The aroma is elegant and fruity, with grapefruit and white wine, a hint of passion fruit, pleasant barley notes, briny sea breeze and faint seaweed minerals, with strong peat notes including iodine. When drinking it is also quite fruity, with grapefruit and passion fruit, a slightly powdery concentrated texture, sweet juice-like flavors with good acidity, some saltiness, and a robust peat character with iodine and smoke. The charcoal-like notes are minimal, leaving a long fruity and peaty finish. [Good/Very Good] This year marks the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, a leading whisky company in France. They released numerous commemorative bottles, including even sake like Dassai, which is popular in Japan. Among these releases, this Laphroaig bottling revives BBR's legendary label. This label is on a different level from typical retro label reproductions, showcasing the Maison's strength through its design sense. It's impressive, and I envied how they achieved this whisky label style they wanted. The contents are fruity Laphroaig from refill casks, with notes of grapefruit and white wine, along with tropical hints reminiscent of passion fruit, somewhat similar to Bowmore. Naturally, there are mineral-like seaweed notes and pronounced iodine, making it strongly peaty. When drinking, it is as fruity as the aroma, with a powdery concentrated texture. The peat character with iodine and smoke is robust and full-bodied, though the charcoal-like notes I usually dislike are minimal. While it's a fruity Laphroaig typical of bottlers, its flavor profile shares many similarities with the bicentenary 15-year and 21-year releases, which I quite liked. That said, the price of over ¥30,000 for this spec is quite high. You could buy two bottles of the official bicentenary 15-year for that price. Well, considering it's a label worth the cost, maybe it's justified. I ended up buying it anyway. #Laphroaig (LAPHROAIG)