Laphroaig 17 Year Old 1997 SMWS Single Cask 29.164 A Ballerina At The Barbeque Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2015) 75cl

Laphroaig 17 Year Old 1997 SMWS Single Cask 29.164 A Ballerina At The Barbeque Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2015) 75cl

1 of 261 bottles produced

This is the USA release so a little more whisky at 75cl instead of 70cl.
It is such a delight to see some of the really early editions of the SMWS single cask bottlings. Even better to drink them!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in Edinburgh in 1983 by Phillip 'Pip' Hills who, while travelling around Scotland in the 1970s, fell in love with whiskies drawn straight from the cask. After he expanded his syndicate the Society was purchased by Glenmorangie PLC in 2004. In 2015, the Society was sold back to private investors. In June 2021, the private owners floated the holding company The Artisanal Spirits Company plc on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

It has a unique code system where the first number refers to the distillery and the second refers to the cask from which the bottle comes. SMWS also offers the largest range of distilleries of any independent bottler. These curiously named drams really do have something for every whisky lover!

The SMWS are one of the Britain's most revered independent bottlers with a worldwide network of partner bars with one mission of getting as much whisky at natural cask strength without water to different nations including USA, Canada, Switzerland, UK, Austria, Germany and many others.

These older labels from the first runs are mostly with distillation methods that include direct heat which was replaced with steam for many distilleries for environmental reasons changing the taste of whisky forever. It'll get real interesting when nuclear fusion is used to distil whisky. We might glow green for a few weeks after we drink the stuff. Who knows.... but all we know is that the old stuff has a musky taste that is VERY welcomed by people nowadays trying to time travel through whisky's past.

TASTING NOTES

Our ballerina sits on damp decking tending to her weary toes with TCP and lint bandage from an antiquated first aid box. A Bloody Mary revives her flagging spirit as she lights a fire pit to start cooking white fish wrapped in bacon and spritzed with lime juice. She snacks on popcorn with sea salt and cracked black pepper and cucumber sandwiches from warm Tupperware. A sprinkle of rain can’t dampen the ash, hints of oil pastel and linseed develop. The shellfish is drizzled with coriander and olive oil and grilled with halloumi and green peppers. Dainty and delicious!

About Laphroaig

60.2% ABV

75cl