ralfy review 840 Extras - Generations of Laphroaig
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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I wish my teachers at school were as interesting and passionate about their subjects as you. Thank you Ralfy.
It’s not often that you run into a person who is as kind to people and passionate about life and Whisk(e)y! Slainte friends... and thanks Ralfy!
Speaking of......Teachers. Next to the Famous Grouse, Teachers is my fav.
I've been learning from you for many years now ralfy. I have to say that this is probably your most educational video to date,and you've had many teaching moments. Keep up the great work, malty malt master!
Wow...This was a great Ralfy review and enjoyed seeing him buzzed and enjoying the water of life! Now I truly understand Scotch Mist!.........Slainte'
Who wouldn’t like to have a couple of those bottles hiding their collections, just the look of it in the glass takes me back. Keep these reviews coming, very enjoyable. Thank you.
Great video and perspective on how things have changed for the worse. I had the same experience comparing a 1990's White Horse Lagavulin 16 to a current bottle. The new one is good, but the old one is a work of art that becomes an experience all its own when you taste it...
Ralfy rants are the best. Informative & entertaining. Thanks, Ralfy!
There’s a non-stick glue free tape called “static tape” (also called “kink tape” on Amazon sometimes). It’s like a rubber tape that sticks to itself like Saran Wrap does. Excellent for archiving bottles as it keeps air out VERY well in my experiences. It doesn’t have to be cut off, and it comes in rolls like duct tape.
Oh my god what a waste of parafilm! It is very flexible, so with proper handling technique you actually need very little of it. But so glad you brought it up!
I am from India and being an amateur whiskey enthusiast I have learned a lot from you!I am recommending your reviews to all my friends in India
I wish someone out there, smarter than myself, would create an on-line petition or survey to show the scotch whisky industry just how many people are against heavy/chill filtration, added color and non-age stated whisky? Malt Mates Unite!!
People will ultimately vote with their wallets and the big distillers are selling to the on-trade and travel markets rather than whisky anoraks, unfortunately
@@wt8676 Probably, but as Ralfy says, it actually costs the distillers money to chill filter and add color. I do think your right about the age statement as most consumers don’t want to pay a lot for a whisky if it says 3 years because they are uninformed. Oh well I’ll just stick to the Craft presented drams!
@@chadg3985 agreed it blows my mind they spend money and time in degrading their product in smell and taste, for a supposed improvement in aesthetics. Totally wrong priorities hey.
The other side is, I know people who would order an expensive single malt in a fancy bar, with no idea what they were buying, and send it back if it came cloudy. This is the customer the industry wants but instead of educating them on how a quality whisky should present, they dumb their product down to meet false expectations.
It’s amazing and mind boggling that they would chill filter anything at all, especially above 45 percent and Cask Strength!
Agreed. Ralfy has enough pull to put a large petition together. 👍🏼
Ralfy, from someone relatively new to whisky and just beginning my whisky journey, I must say your videos are awesome. Like many others I have learnt so much from you already. Thank you.
. . . happy to share !
As somebody also relatively new to this wonderful world I couldnt agree more - you should check out Ralfys other channel too - very insightful and funny to see Ralfy in a different guise!
Al thanks for this - will check it out.
Ralfy, your words of wisdom are second to none! Laphroaigs a good'n :)
Laphroaig took me for a new whiskey journey. I literally brought the bottle back and asked if there was something wrong with it, that was my introduction into PEAT 😂. It grew on me, love it
Looking forward to book two. Thanks for the closet dig to bring us the old 10 year old.
Just pulled out my Laphroaig 15 and enjoyed a dram with you from Colorado to open the New Year! Cheers and Thank you!
Watched this again in preparation for a trip to Laphroaig in July. My first cask strength Laphroaig was the 2015 200 year anniversary. Still have the empty bottle. I am pretty sure I purchased that one after I saw your original review of the older bottle in this video. Have had almost every cask strength batch since then.
Right. So I hope you asked them why the hell they are chill filtering and watering down the Laphroaig 10 at 40%. Every single one of us whisky nerds should ask them they might tell their greedy investors we hate this bs.
Cannot wait for your next book! Your first is absolutely first rate. Anyone who enjoys these Ralfy videos owes themselves a copy...a sweet read with a fine dram!
Thank you for your in-depth review...interesting however that you gave this new incarnation 90 out of 100.
Watched you reviewing this bottle in 2009, and now this. Awesome. Thanks. How time flies.
Excellent review as usual. I do also use Parafilm and those who say that overtime the film could release "chemicals"into the whisky don't have a clue of Chemistry neither Parafilm properties (also their Physics should be rusted), so no problem at all in that area. You are right that physical properties as color, stiffness and possible fusion of the film can indeed happen.
Looking forward your second book
Another very interesting video , I'm learning more and more about my favourite drink
A lot of American bourbon & rye distillers are dropping the chill filtering particularly on the higher end products. They will proudly declare on the label non-chill filtered. Thanks for the tip on the parafilm, just ordered some. I've actually got one or two bottles with it on them, didn't know what it was. Education!
Thank you very much dear Ralfy! We love the same whisky distillery as Laphroaig! I hope that Laphroaig is the best among whisky connoisseurs like Purdey among gunmakers. One of my most valuable desire is to visit that distillery.
And best regards from Tbilisi/ Georgia!!!✌️✌️✌️☘️☘️☘️
Ralph’s, Love your channel.
I agree that there ought to be a word, “oxidisation”, which we could apply amongst other things to peatiness, but sadly there isn’t.
The good news is that the real word is less of a mouthful I.e. “oxidation”.
I can confirm that parafilm is great stuff too. Also used for fruit tree grafting.
Your openness and honesty are refreshing. Thanks for the great content, Ralfy!
Ralfy, I admire your fortitude in leaving a bottle of opened whisky for 15 years. I’m afraid when I open a bottle it’s ta ta horsey for that particular bottle.
Ralfy, as a few others have pointed out here the new Laphroaig Cask Strength editions do not use chill filtration. They use simply a barrier filter to take out any cask particulates.
Thank you Ralfy! What a wonderful extras that was!
If I was a decision-maker at a distillery and I wanted to main-stream the idea of NCF, I would come out with a bottling that would FEATURE the mist, any idea for a name would do. Glenlivet has their Nadurra series, but that appeals to those already "on board". Release a bottling, or series, called "Barley Haze" (or purple haze or bog fog, ideas are endless), set up a display cooler at the stores so that the bottle is actually hazy on the display. Run ads explaining why and what it means, show a few authority figures appreciating it (it would probably have to be a fedora-wearing, neck beard sporting, plaid shirt hipster new age whisky expert, but hey, whatever it takes) and you're done. Maybe even allow multiple distillers to use the same name, the way they do those "game of thrones" nonsense or "classic malts" trope. Meanwhile you could still offer the clarified versions to those who like ice cubes. Fire and Ice? You could have Fog & Sparkle. Simples! I hereby allow any serious distillery to use and market this idea of mine for an integrity whisky, no joke! Obviously a company like Benromach/G&M would be much more likely to do this than Diageo, whatever. It only takes one, others will follow. On the other hand, a larger conglomerate owning many distilleries is better positioned, they could market several different whiskies under the same umbrella of this idea. NEVER GONNA HAPPEN :)
Great review and information Ralfy. Thank you. I like your style and straight forward reviews.
I have not watched one of your reviews without learning something. Actually, usually it's many things. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I just bought the first and now the second is in the oven! Good job, Ralfy! Can't wait to read the second one!
Thanks Ralfy wonderful review indeed. Love the aggressive in your face nature of the the 10 Cask strength , hard to find a comparable official bottling with the sheer punch power of this one. Great timeline perspective, thanks again.
Ralfy, thank you for your very insightful comparison between the two bottles. While we're in the heavily peated area, I highly recommend you to take a look at Old Ballantruan 10yo from Tomintoul distillery. I find it to be a very rewarding and fascinating heavily peated Speyside malt, well presented with 50% ABV, unchillfiltered and probably natural colour (they don't state it but it's got a light colour coming in a dark bottle). I really dig it and you probably would too :)
I discovered parafilm through the whisky.de channel a while ago, and recently opened the first bottle I used it on a couple of years ago. It was remarkable how cleanly it came off, a lot of fuss, but absolutely no residue. I'd second Ralfy's recommendation on it being a good compliment to Private Preserve spray at least for mid-term storage.
This video is an ey-opener for any Whisky entusiast! thanks for sharing Ralfy.
I was a violin family repair/restoration man for 24 years. I found a picture of a Stradivari label on the internet, downloaded it and printed it on recycled paper, slopped coffee on it, burned the edges and left it on the floor of the shop for about 2 months. Looked pretty original. I'm sure things like that have been done on many faked antiques as whisky bottles.
. . . your right.
Loving these Extras Ralfy!!!
Revisiting this extras review...I have that exact same bottling of the 2009 Cask Strength you have there...the "Red Stripe"...
To prevent alcohol from evaporating from the bottle, I use PTFE tape (thread seal tape), less than 25 cents for a roll tape.
If it doesn't help, it doesn't harm either.. Should i ever have to sell the bottle, i will remove the tape by myself.
As for the 'old dust bottle' effect, don't apply to bottles that are kept in a tube, in a cool dry place.
Is that a suspicious bottle at an auction??
Thanks for the educational reviews, please keep it up like this!
Great comparison using cheese. As someone from Somerset, there’s a huge difference between small batch cave aged cheddar and mass produced cheddar. If scotch mist is your thing Ralfy, id recommend Glenfarclas 105 22 year old. With water that goes seriously cloudy, just like a craft made scrump farmhouse Cider! 👍🏻
Always enjoy your reviews and the extra..bravo !!!
Why not just get Quarter cask? It says unchill-filtered right on the bottle 48%
Today is of course, as you know, @RalfydotCom, Sean Connery's birthday!
Happy birthday, SEAN,
I'll be pouring myself something Scotchish 2nite. Oh yeshsh.
HBD
That was a very touching and educational extras. Keep ‘em coming!!
Thanks Ralfy!
Another great review. Thanks Ralfy!
Thanks for the education!
Just read your book while I was on holiday last week. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to your next one.
. . . thanks for buying my book !
read your book Ralphy...excellent read. bravo!
I’ve had many different variations of Laphroaig, but my pallet still prefers Ardbeg in every aspect. Ardbeg just seems more smooth, more body and flavorful.
Church of Ralfy is the best. Say it loud "no chill filtering"!
Hello
Great to hear about the book
Hope u ll release an audio version also this time.
arghh! it might be 50 years ago that i tried laphroaig and it will be at least that long before i try it again. in fairness, i'm not a scotch drinker but i can enjoy a mild blend now and again. thanks! subscribed.
Writing to Laphroaig once i finish this video. I'm comin for ya Laphroaig!
I do love Laphoaig, I hope the owners decide to restore it to it's former glory. I am sure the distillers are some of the most capable in the industry, it is just a matter of will.
You said about 3 year whisky from Aldi very nice and smooth ta 🏴😊😊
I got your book Ralphy, really liked it. It's interesting how you write like you speak lol. It's a very....Ralphy book.
Hi Ralfy, as mentioned by sb in your last vid, the new LP CS is not chill-filtered, either, according to the back label of the bottle. So there seems to be something else going on, you have to admit the Scotch mist of the old LP is pretty extreme not to be found in every ncf cs bottling out there. Maybe it comes more down to the cut of the distillation process and the older less starchy barley strain used? Another thing is that old open bottles sometimes cloud up, happens even at 40% abc. cf ones. Any idea how this happens? Anyhow, thanks your content, Ralfy!
. . . something else is going on ! I will discuss it soon.
I was going to mention this too, my most recent CS bottle is batch 009 and it clearly states it is only barrier filtered. Indeed I found an article that asserts none of the core range are chill-filtered (and only the QC has colour added). Would be interested to know why some NCF whiskies don't cloud with water. My peeve with Laphroaig is that the standard 10 year old comes at 40% in the UK whereas it's 43% in the US. C'mon Laphroaig, cut us a break! At 40% you're emasculating it.
@@oliverphilp4207 True, could use a 10 @43%. On the other hand most I know have switched to the (around here) almost similarly priced Quarter Cask anyway. Btw. some trivia: At least batch 10 of the LP CS was advertised as quarter cask matured (or finished, can't recall) on their website when it was sold. So the perfect combo after all... ;-)
Good explanation but can i ask why would you not decant that volume of spirit into a smaller bottle rather than perform with the cling film and inert gas?
AAAAnd the legendary Ralfy bottle hug happened again!!!! :)
Malt Mention:
Many Merry Malted Mary's in Maryland
. . . M-mention now on the list, thanks.
As a Malt Mate (if I may call myself that) in Maryland, I second this one!
cheers ralfy
As a former lab technician I would just like to say that 1) you don't need that much Parafilm and 2) you need to stretch it out much more so it will seal better and will stay fixed better.
. . . thanks for the tips.
Not having had a cask strength 10 in a long while, since they give the US the regular 10 at 43% compared to the 40% given to the rest of the world, does the cask strength sent to the US get chill filtered as well?
The CS in the US is not chill filtered
A few years ago I had the chance to listen to John Campbell (Laphroaig Distillery Manager) present the Laphroaig range at a tasting event and one of the things he was adamant about was that they are preserving the flavour of Laphroaig and that it has not changed. I must admit, I started to annoy him by drilling into that claim with questions on the change in process from barrels, volume output, even palate change! Thanks for doing this tasting, as it is something I've been meaning to try but have only empty bottles after 10 years! Now if only you could get a side by side comparison of chill filtered and non-chill filtered...
. . . many in the Industry are not comfortable with informed consumers.
Well done for exposing the corruption from these brands. I love Laphroig and those smokey malts but i'll steer clear of them from now on..
You'll be running out of options soon i'm afraid. There's not enough new artisan craft distillers (like there are in beer brewers today) they are popping up in the USA but i doubt it will come to islay anytime soon
. . . your right.
@@folkmarcmetal look at Kilchoman or Ardnahoe, even Laddie with theire Octomore or Port Charlotte.
@@manuelnaranjo3255 Ardnahoe is strangely unavailable where i'm from but the others are great ones indeed
@@folkmarcmetal they are in theire first or second year, just new born. Look at theire Homepage, very interessting.
damn fu... right Ralfy, for me now i want to seek another good peaty malts, laphroaig.... im finished with you...
its sad, that we buy for much of money, a thought of real bold and honest whisky...
Ralfy dear, that's not just Scotch mist in the older Laph CS, it's a full-on pea soup fog!
Hi Ralfy, I really love your reviews. On this occasion, your comparison of scotch mist is confusing. I noticed you did not add water to the newer dram? When you added water to the older, I was also amazed at the pure mist. This was much heavier than I got on my dram of cask strength. But your comparison is not fair as you did not add water. Perhaps you added before video start, but based on you adding more to “top up”, which you have been against in previous, I conclude that you did not add water. Perhaps another blooper moment? Interested in what you think? Cheers.
He added water during the original review 840 at 7:25. This is the extra’s video which immediately follows the original review.
Laphroaig is a great distillery, I love the stuff they do. However, I bought a 18ys malt, no special cask stuff or edition, about 10 ys ago. And never felt that OK with a whisky since that point ever again. It had all you would expect from an Islay, the 18 ys did him very good, it was round and smooth, smoky and stable as you woudl expect an Laphroaig to be, and just 2 drops of water were enough to enter heaven. I would give up half of my collection of Malts to get another bottle out of this run.
Hello Peter. When I visited the Edradour Distillery in 2018, I spoke to a manager who told me that a man who had much to do with laphroaigs bottlings (who I can’t recall his name) allegedly helped with Edradours Ballechin brand. I found this to be interesting but can’t find info on this online. I’m curious if anyone else has heard this. But if you haven’t played around much with Ballechin, I highly advise it!!! Cheers!
@@AmericanScotchDoctor thanks for the pointer. Appreciated! Slainte
I'd love for you to get your hands on the Balcones True Blue 100 proof. It's from blue corn and is Delicious.
Just wondered does Parafilm work against old bottle effect, if OBA could be seen as related to the whisky interacting with its environment and 'breathing' over time, like a cask?
So educational. Thank you.
I love Laphroaig - but I think they are perpetually ruining ALL of the expressions with chill filtering and caramel colourant. Some independent bottlers don't chill filter or add colour. Sadly, their bottlings are not always good - do you think they get cheaper versions from the distillery due to poor casks?
Ralfy maybe you'd considered doing a similar review for the Lagavulin 12 after this !
Ralphy - I like Laphroig, what are the best peaty malts? I've tried Lagavulin 16 twice and did not like it! I liked the Lagavulin 9 year game of thrones though. Confused, I am!
Nice revew !=)
Hi Ralfy, would storing in a smaller bottle make a difference
I think that's a great question too, thanks for asking him this....
Inert gas definitely works; don't really know the arguments against. I use it primarily with vermouth and stuff like that, I usually just decant my scotch into smaller bottle once the big bottle gets low.
Best video ever Ralfy. You tell em pal!!!!
Hey Ralfy, thanks for this great video and comparison. Following up on my question posted on your review of the Laphroaig 10 cask strength batch 12: it does explicitly say it’s not chill-filtered on the tube, but also says it is barrier filtered only. Do you think barrier filtering accounts for the difference in mist you demonstrate here?
. . . I will be commenting on that soon.
@@thewhiskybothy Cheers! Appreciate all you do.
Parafilm - that takes me back to my biochemistry lab, where it was an excellent deal for test tubes, etc. Much thicker and more moldable than the cheaper alternative, Nescofilm, to which our lab moved for a while back in the early 1990s! If you're not already gainfully employed, I'm sure your services as a consultant to reputable auction houses would be in great demand (despite your comments in the film)! While GC/MS analysis could flag-up a fake in theory, it needs a comparator, so for rare or very old bottles this chemical method isn't useful and the human nose remains the 'gold standard'.
I've got three bottles of that Batch 1 Laphroaig Cask Strength slumbering away in a closet in my basement......
I see wee beastie in background, hoping to see review.
You can buy it on Amazon at the moment, Ardbeg said that stock is coming back and there will be a lot of it. I bought a bottle last week, it's ok, very peppery, but nothing close to the complexity and richness of the TEN.
@@KNURKonesur So it's not anywhere near the current Ten you're saying, that has me seriously worried.
My last bottle of the Ten was kind of a complete trainwreck :(
In fact, I had bought three bottles, opened one, and after about half way through it, I sold the other two on ebay.
I've seen plenty of enthusiastic reviews elsewhere. Maybe I'm old school but I found it full of those estery, hot notes that you get from young whiskies. Youth can work with peat but, for me, this wasn't a patch on the 10. For the money I'd have a Laphroaig QC every time.
Whats your take on the Laphroaig 25 - 30 years.
I would like to hear your take on the higher end Laphroaigs.
Keep them coming!
. . . to expensive for me to buy !
Pleasant video. I'll smoke to that.
I love that scotch mist. Can't imagine why any distillery would want to suppress that!
. . . most people cant understand either. It's for 'consistency'
Why dont the distillers bottle a percentage of the product non-filtered and charge a few dollars more for it? Guaranteed us Malt-Mates would support it and gladly so. It would also be to the distillers advantage since there would be one step less in the process and a better profit margin for them.
Ralfy... The difference of scotch mist in those drams is unfortunately a very big indication of how the whisky industry has progressed. Too many involved now with a hunger for quantity over quality. Thank goodness we still have springbank and Kilkerran.
SB,glengyle,kilchoman,arran,glenallachie,daftmill,ardnahoe and others...
Gotta get your hands on that Michter’s American Ralfy. Bourbon mimicking scotch, very interesting.
Ralfy, you're the second Scottish UA-camr I know who's book I have also bought...check out *The Critical Drinker* ...he reviews movies/shows, he also writes espionage books and is a hoot. Would be funny to hear you and him do a live stream! Cheers!
@@Hirsine Yes, they are touching different areas of interest on the UA-cam...but I do know that Drinker has enjoyed Lagavulin before...and Old Pulteney, too. And, yes, Ralfy has mentioned the lacking quality of his internet...I'm hoping he will do a live stream from a distillery in Scotland sometime soon. Cheers!
I would think that it would be possible to design/construct an assessory "cork", that under no circumstances let out a single alcohol-molecule, let alone a drop, and with a such, we could store the whisky upside down, by which we won't need to use possibly flavour-degrading tape or inert gasses.
- Thinking about it, even if it is only reasonably well sealing, ie. a bit better than the normal cork, being wet with the bottle turned upside down, will help sealing the thing...
Hmmm, an inert gas of some sort will have an effect, particilarly if the bottle is opened now and then, but a such also ought to be fairly easy to "design".
Any way, the absolutely best and safest way, is of course to buy enough bottles in the first place, hmmm, will have to consider thát in my future malt-shopping....;- )
- And there is another reason for us to listen to the Malt-master Ralf's wisdom, going for the affordable quality....;- )
. . . I agree.
What would it take to get a signed book copy? A small donation to the Anti Chill Filtration Association?
. . . all Innaugral editions are signed.
Well damn, if the most recent releases of Laphroaig 10 CS are so damn good (and they are), I can only imagine what an older bottling is like. Where do I get me one of those?
Isn't it barrier filtering rather than chill filtering? 🤔 But I agree, batshit crazy! 🙌 😎
These old Cask Strength 10 Laphroaigs feature in a lot of auctions at Scotch Whisky Auctions, but they sure aren't giving them away.
You are absolute legend!
People should do themselves a favour and avoid buying at auctions. Ralfy's opinion on buying from them should be taken note of.
im current starting chapter 4 of the book its very good