[lan40583]

Hello everyone,

I'm brand new to single malts, and only an occasional drinker. My first bottle of this elixir was a Glenfiddich 15yr Solera. My initial impression was "wow, this is different, but is it a good kind of different?" I worked my way through the bottle pretty slowly, and when it was out I decided that I would try some different styles of single malt.

Earlier today I picked up two bottles from opposite ends of the single malt spectrum, a Glenlivet 12yr and a Laphroaig 10yr, to compare the two and figure out which style I preferred. The Glenlivet 12 was nice, easier to drink than the Glenfiddich 15, but not too different.

After a short dram of the Glenlivet, I opened the Laphroaig 10yr and was absolutely blown away by the scent of the cork. Smoky and delicious, like a summer barbecue. Eagerly, I poured the dram and sniffed the glass for a long while before taking the first sip. My first sensation was of salty seawater on the tip of my tongue, followed by the smoky flavor I had anticipated. It tasted remarkably like the crust of charred meat, but with a certain sweetness, like a slice of deliciously charred bacon. Each successive taste contained less of the salty flavor and more of the smoke (so this is what peat tastes like!). When the glass was empty I continued to sniff the glass, which by this point smelled like the last dying embers of a fire.

It should be obvious by this point that I'm absolutely enamored with the Laphroaig. My only regret is that I wish the salty sensation had lasted a bit longer. I know that Laphroaig is regarded as one of the peatiest islay malts, but is there such a thing as a genuinely "salty" whisky?