Editing Laphroaig distillery (section)

==Taste==
[[File:Sjb whiskey kiln.jpg|thumb|130px|left|A distinctive "[[pagoda]]"-style kiln chimney at Laphroaig]]
[[File:Expensive Laphroaig whiskies on Viking Amorella.jpg|thumb|right|Laphroaig 30-year-old and 25-year-old belong to the distillery's most expensive products.]]
[[File:Laphroaig Qarter Cask Triple Wood Drams.jpg|thumb|right|Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Triple Wood]]
Laphroaig calls itself "the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies", and is most frequently aged to 10 years, although the 15-year-old variety is common (the 27-, 30- and 40-year-olds are rare and expensive; the 18-year-old was discontinued in late 2015).<ref name="nrothbaum">Noah Rothbaum, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-survive-a-single-malt-drought-1453992195 "How to Survive a Single-Malt Drought"], ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', January 28, 2016.</ref> The whisky has a peaty/smoky flavour. Approximately 10% of their barley is malted on site using hand-cut [[peat]] from locations on Islay.

The ''Laphroaig Quarter Cask'' was introduced in 2004. This expression is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, is finished in smaller casks, and is not [[chill filtering|chill filtered]].<ref name="Opus">{{cite book |last1=Roskrow |first1=Dominic |last2=Smith |first2=Gavin D. |last3=Diebel |first3=Juergen |last4=Kergommeaux |first4=Davin de |title=Whiskey Opus: The World's Greatest Distilleries and Their Whiskey |year=2012 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4654-0517-3 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgFq81yPywsC |language=en}}</ref> Due to the smaller barrels used, the oak surface contact is 30% greater than with standard barrels. The company describes the effect of this as "creating a soft and velvety edge".<ref name=LaphWebsite /> The Quarter Cask is bottled at 48% ABV (96 proof).<ref name = Jackson>Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion, Edition 6, page 307.  {{ISBN|978-1-4053-1966-9}}</ref> The 10-year-old standard-bearer is bottled at 40% or 43% ABV, depending on the local market.<ref name = Jackson />

There are also expressions now selling in Travel Retail: Laphroaig QA cask (matured in ex-bourbon barrels and virgin American oak casks), Laphroaig PX cask (matured in three types of wood –  from American oak to Quarter Cask to Pedro Ximénez ex-sherry), Laphroaig An Cuan Mor – Big Ocean (matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and then in European oak).