Laphroaig Elements 2.0
February 28, 2025
When a whisky starts getting lots of good press there’s a natural curiosity that raises its head and turns on its whisky-seeking radar. When mine started buzzing, that’s what sent me in the direction of the Elements 2.0 release, from the Laphroaig Distillery, in the Scottish seaside town of Port Ellen, hugging Loch Laphroaig, on the isle of Islay.
In 2023, Laphroaig released Elements 1.0, which was a way for the team, led by former distillery manager Barry MacAffer, to experiment with the art and science of making Laphroaig, adding new flavor profiles - like using 100 percent Islay malt - while still maintaining the spirit’s core tastes. Well, last year, Barry MacAffer’s team released Elements 2.0 and a lot of people started taking notice. In fact, Whisky Advocate magazine awarded it the number one spot on their list of the Top 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of the year. Alright, I’m not ashamed to admit that that caught my attention, as well.
The bottle comes in a sturdy, information-loaded box that opens to highlight details about how the 2.0 was created, including doubling (and then some) the fermentation time, from 55 hours to 115 hours, with the intent of getting more fruitier flavors. It even lists the names of the people who oversaw the process! Kinda cool.
This experimental whisky is a non aged statement, smallbatch, cask strength release. Laphroaig makes a point in saying that this release wasn’t about cask finishes so I’m going to make a guess here, and say that they matured it in just ex-bourbon barrels and, as stated on the label, they bottled it at 59.6 percent ABV. I can tell you that the website states that it’s non-chill filtered, but they don’t say whether or not it’s had color added. So I reached out to Laphroaig and they did respond, with… “As a matter of policy, we don't share specific information regarding our formulas or ingredients.” OK, fair enough. That means, I’ll make another guess here and say yes, that they added color. If that’s wrong, I’d love for them to clarify that.
The color I do pick up in the glass, is a light gold, like a sauvignon blanc.
And there’s only a few legs moving down the glass from the whisky edge and they seem to be fighting over who can dribble down the slowest.
I like the smell of this one already.
Nose:
Initially, I get the sweet richness of flan (a desert I still don’t know the correct pronunciation of). Staying on the sweet train I get orange creamsicles. It is definitely kind of buttery. And I get a nose full of spiciness. Being a Laphroaig, it doesn’t surprise me that a get a whiff of a few smoldering fall leaves on a bonfire somewhere near the ocean. And ginger ale.
Palate:
It’s a Laphroaig. It is unavoidable that it has that unique, Islay smoke taste. But also layers of fruit and sweet. I get some cherries. There’s vanilla cream soda. I pick up notes of singed caramel. The fruity sweetness of a berry compote, which has been dished up over ginger ice cream, and topped off with a nice little honey drizzle.
At 59.6 percent ABV, that means a few drops of water will ratchet down the alcohol hit, just a bit.
Nose + H2O:
I get a little bit more of that brine that I usually expect from a Laphroaig. After that, there’s the scent of some cherry soda that the water has opened up.
Palate + H2O:
Those few drops of water activate the ash taste from the whisky, an ash-y taste that’s lurking just below the surface. And after those few drops, it opens up like a fresh band-aid right out of the package.
Finish:
The finish is long and kind of unique for a Laphroaig, I’m left with sweetness on the lips and a deep, rich smoke on the tongue, that gets nudged aside a bit with the taste of a fresh, sweet honeycomb.
Rating:
The extra time in the washback has given this spirit a beautifully crafted edge and I absolutely see why a magazine’s tasting panel might award it best of the year. Was it my best of the year? That’s really hard for me to say, which is probably why magazine’s don’t ask me to be on their tasting panels. Now don’t get me wrong, I love drinking it and would recommend it to any peat fans out there but, I can’t give it my top score because of one factor: the price. It’s positioned as a premium malt and while I would never want to deny Laphroaig the ability to make a fair profit, this one just felt like maybe they aren’t reading the room right. But I’m still good with giving the Laphroaig Elements 2.0 a nine finger pour.
Age Statement: NAS
ABV: 59.6 %
Chill-filtered: no
E150a caramel coloring added: yes
Average Price (700ml): $160 (US)
