Laphroaig 30-year-old The Ian Hunter Story, Book 1 / 46.7%/ 0.7l

Laphroaig 30 years presented here is the first edition of a 15-volume series devoted to Ian Hunter.

Hunter ran the distillery from 1908 to 1954, and was the last member of the founding family to be involved in Laphroaig’s production. Under his leadership, the whisky debuted as a single malt, and he also led the extensive use of ex-bourbon casks in the maturation process. Laphroaig 30 Year Old, the series’ forerunner, hit the market in 2019, blended from first-fill bourbon barrels and bottled at 46.7% abv. The run consisted of 4,800 bottles, presented in elegant books entitled “Unique Character.”

Nose: fruity and slightly peaty, bananas, mango, passion fruit, peaches, vanilla cream, honey, caramel, lemon and orange peel, butter cookies and oak.

Palate: a basket of tropical fruits, banana cake, vanilla, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, notes of nutmeg and allspice and a fleeting trace of smoke.

Finish: long, with notes of vanilla, nut nougat, orange peel, oak, a bit of ash and peat smoke in the background.