Laphroaig 35 Year Old "Dugald Johnston" Islay Single Malt Whisky (700ml)

Laphroaig's Strong Characters series is exactly the kind of collector's release that actually deserves the name: old whisky, real distillery history, and packaging that feels like more than a marketing exercise. Chapter 2 honors Dugald Johnston, who took on the distillery after the death of his father Donald in 1847 and helped push Laphroaig toward the reputation that still defines it as one of Islay's most unmistakable malts. This 35 year old was matured in the distillery's signature American oak barrels and hogsheads and bottled at 43.8%, giving the famously medicinal, maritime Laphroaig profile decades to settle into something more polished, layered, and rare. The official notes point toward an unusually graceful side of the distillery, with pastry sweetness, apple and cherry fruit, creamy texture, raisin, spice, aniseed, pepper, and a slow return to peat smoke. The label and box artwork by award-winning British illustrator Bill Bragg makes the whole package feel considered and substantial, not merely decorative. A limited, second-chapter release from one of Scotland's most iconic distilleries, this is a beautifully mature, historically grounded Laphroaig for the serious Islay drinker or collector.