Scotch is separated by regions. This week’s whiskey, Laphroaig, is an Islay scotch. This means it comes from an island, Islay, off the coast of Scotland. The ocean air the whiskey ages in gives these scotches a flavor some have described as seaweed-like and can often be responsible for strong iodine notes in the scotch. The strong use of peat is also a distinct characteristic of Islay scotches.

The Laphroaig distillery opened in 1815 and has a long history. It’s the only scotch to be appointed a Royal Warrant, meaning it’s a good that royalty really liked. And I can’t say that I blame them too much.

I let some of my non-whiskey drinking friends try a sip of the Laphroaig, and they described it as as smokey, something that reminded them of barbecue and fall and bonfires. This is a mixture of that peat flavor and the iodine of being an Islay.

The drink has a light, golden color in the glass. The nose is smokey and sweet, almost mesquite in the sweetness. I would describe the drink as thin, and the development short. The scotch is aged ten years, but it still had a youngness to it. The heat of the drink hits early, and it has a lot of salt. There was a sweetness to the smoke that was detected in the nose that made it really pleasant in the finish, which seemed to stick around for a while.

What I think I meant to order was the Quarter Cask, which I tried a while ago and remember finding more robust and powerful. I would describe the drink better if I could remember more specifics, but I definitely recall enjoying it.