Lauding Laphroaig (Round 3!) Jack Rose Laphroaig French Oak and Loch & K(e)y Laphroaig "PX I Love You Too" Review

Background

I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while, particularly since reviewing t8ke and Green River Farms’ Laphroaig selection back in May.. That was a (delicious) 2014 heavy toast virgin French Oak cask, and naturally led me to wonder how Jack Rose’s medium toast French Oak selection turned out! A quick disclaimer that I’m WAYYYY late to the party on these two whiskies, the other being a PX cask selection “PX I Love You Too” from Julio’s Liquor/Loch and K(e)y Society. I missed the initial tasting and release in January. Then, to compound my misery, I missed the second iteration in March, this time with Distillery Manager Barry Macaffer and including Laphroaig 33. I believe it’s safe to assume Jack Rose and Julio’s swapped a few cases of their respective picks though, as both of these have been for sale in Jack Rose’s bottle shop at varying points. Given I’m fresh out of additional background anecdotes, let’s get into the notes!

Laphroaig Lock and K(e)y “PX I Love You Too” (Distilled 2014, 60.4%)

Nose: Toasted sesame oil, BBQ spare ribs, honey soy glaze and a very very light red fruit.

Palate: Charred berries, teriyaki sauce on charred meats. There’s some black pepper and salted caramel, it’s got a nice, rich, mouthfeel and the salinity is beautifully integrated with the PX influence.

Finish: This is vague, but it's a tangy, citrusy smoke. Charred lemons, honey, and more berries. There’s a tannic, dark chocolate and oak finish that still maintains an alluring sweetness and pulls you into another sip.

Excellent to Incredible (8.5/10)

Overall: Smokey and sweet is just a winning combo with me every time. This really draws you in and balances the peat lovingly with the PX influence. It has a beautiful richness on the palate that really hooks you.

Laphroaig Jack Rose Medium Toast Virgin French Oak (Distilled 2014, 116.8 Proof)

Nose: Slightly burnt French toast, roasted cinnamon sticks and honey roasted nuts.

Palate: This is odd but I kept getting this occasional charred pepper note, like blistered shishito peppers. Again that honey roasted nut note, crème brulee and some charred peaches.

Finish: Oily, tobacco and leather with some of those same toasted nut and charred peach notes carrying over from the palate.

Excellent (8/10)

Overall: There's a lot going on here in the best way. It's a complex bouquet of flavors, mingling some gentle vanilla nuttiness with a nice, classic, underlying Laphroaig profile anchoring the whole sip.