Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch 40 Year

The destiny of Laphroaig and Islay are inextricably linked. The isle of Islay is a windswept juxtaposition of rock, peat and heather, cast adrift from the Scottish mainland to the East. The unique character of Laphroaig® has never been duplicated, even by the distillery?s closest neighbours, but is partly derived from the distillery?s location on the spray soaked coast, as well as the peat which flavours the water and smokes the barley. Where bracing waves and stinging spray reign supreme you will find Warehouse No. 1, the oldest of its type at Laphroaig. The building has an ash floor, which, combined with its exposed position on the rocky shore, creates a cool, damp, temperate atmosphere. These ancient, wave battered walls protected the distillery?s oldest whisky, Laphroaig® 40 Year Old. During its four decade sleep, each of the European oak casks, in which this unique example of Laphroaig® has matured, will have lost over half of the original contents of whisky to the Islay atmosphere through evaporation. Known as the ?angels? share? this naturally occurring process has allowed the salt laden air of the Laphroaig Bay to enter the cask and over the years subtly influence the character of the maturing whisky. Laphroaig® 40 Year Old has been created by the artistry of the nature of Islay coupled with the application of one woman. Untouched for forty years, Laphroaig® 40 Year Old has gone straight from the cask to the bottle at 42.4% vol and is the oldest Laphroaig EVER produced! Produced using distilling methods first established in 1815, Laphroaig® 40 Year Old was laid down by one of the foremost lady distillers and distillery owners, Bessie Williamson. Known and respected for her vision and love of Laphroaig, Bessie used European oak to mature this particular vintage rather than the American oak Bourbon casks which are more commonly used today. The barrels have lain undisturbed in Warehouse No. 1, the oldest maturation building at Laphroaig, which is sited at the edge of the sea. During its 40 years in the warehouse, a percentage of the maturing whisky has been lost due to evaporation and replaced by the salt-laden air of Laphroaig Bay. The resulting rich and mellow whisky has been bottled at its original cask strength. Iain Henderson, Laphroaig's current Distillery Manager, had this to say, "Laphroaig® 40 Year Old is a superlative whisky from one of the greatest periods in our history, with a distinctiveness you would expect from the crowning addition to the Laphroaig® family.