Single Malt Bourbon Cask 003 26YO Bottled
⏳ Drinking Window & Cellar Guidance
As a fully matured 26-year-old single malt Scotch whisky bottled at its peak, this spirit does not age further in the bottle and is ready to enjoy immediately. Once opened, it can be savored over 1 to 2 years if kept sealed and away from direct sunlight.
🍽️ Culinary Pairings
Rich blue cheeses, high-quality dark chocolate, and smoked wild game or charcuterie.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the rugged south coast of Islay, Scotland, Laphroaig is legendary for its uncompromisingly smoky, medicinal, and maritime single malt whiskies. Founded in 1815 by brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston, the distillery famously uses hand-cut peat from its own bogs, which imparts a distinctively phenolic, iodine-rich character. This rare 1996 vintage expression, aged for 26 years in a single ex-bourbon cask (Cask 003) and bottled in 2022, represents an extraordinary evolution of the distillery's signature spirit. Over more than two decades of maturation in Islay's damp, salty sea air, the aggressive peat smoke has softened, integrating beautifully with sweet vanilla, toasted oak, and unexpected tropical fruit notes derived from the bourbon wood.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1815 by brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston on the rugged southern coast of the Isle of Islay, Laphroaig is celebrated as one of Scotland's most iconic and distinctive single malt distilleries. Renowned for its unapologetically bold, medicinal, and maritime character, the distillery preserves heritage traditions by hand-cutting local Islay peat from Glenmachrie and operating its own historic floor maltings. Utilizing cold-smoking techniques and soft, peaty water drawn from the Kilbride Reservoir, Laphroaig yields an unmistakable spirit brimming with notes of seaweed, iodine, and robust peat smoke. Now under the stewardship of Suntory Global Spirits and holding a prestigious Royal Warrant since 1994, the distillery produces benchmark expressions ranging from its classic 10 Year Old and innovative Quarter Cask to deeply nuanced, ultra-aged single malts.