Laphroaig taste inconsistencies... advice?
Discussion
Whiskey noob here with a bottle of 10 year Laphroaig.
Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
AcidReflux said:
Whiskey noob here with a bottle of 10 year Laphroaig.
Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
Maybe it's because you're drinking Irish Laphroaig.Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
Hawmaws said:
AcidReflux said:
Whiskey noob here with a bottle of 10 year Laphroaig.
Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
Maybe it's because you're drinking Irish Laphroaig.Sometimes I'll have a finger of neat whiskey at the end of an evening and it's smooth, interesting and very enjoyable. Other times I drink from the same bottle and it's harsh with burning alcohol.
Presumably there's some chemical inconsistency in my palate that causes the dramatic difference in taste but is there any way to influence the experience, perhaps by eating a cracker or drinking milk first to neutralise the evening's food? Any foods to avoid when planning a late-night nip? I rarely drink the whiskey within a couple of hours of eating or drinking anything else. (It's usually a reward at the end of a long evening's programming.)
It's a horizontal little finger. It's just a treat at the end of an evening rather than the start of any ruinous decadence. 
cramorra said:
Is there a time difference between pouring and drinking on those evenings - I assume airing and swirling would make it smoother - Not that Laphroig would ever get really smooth - A glass of bunnahabhain perhaps if Sir prefers the milder form of Islay???
I've never really 'got' Laphroaig. Or Bowmore for that matter. I've got a bottle of Laphroaig here that I've had for yonks, and I'll only drink it if I've run out of anything else. To me, it's like drinking paint stripper, and a couple of belts make me feel quite unwell.That is not to say I don't like Islay malts. I do sometimes. I'm a big fan of just about any Expression from Bruichladdich (I've just finished off a bottle of WMD II, which was a real belter. And I can drink Bunnahabhain (even if as a Scot I can't pronounce it properly) and most of the others go down well. But, call me a heathen, I can't stand Laphroaig.
AcidReflux said:
Incredible Sulk said:
I've never really 'got' Laphroaig.
I'm just starting off on my whisky journey so I've a lot to experience, but I'm finding Laphroaig interesting. When my palete is right I really enjoy the smokiness. I'll try something else next. 
For me the most rounded of all the Islays is Bruichladdich, in whatever expression. If I could only ever drink whisky from one distillery, it would be that one. But, the great thing about whisky, compared with just about every other spirit, is the variety you can get, and what suits one person may not suit another. You just have to experiment a lot.
Incredible Sulk said:
I've never really 'got' Laphroaig. But, call me a heathen, I can't stand Laphroaig.
Laphroig is quite special I agree and it's not the peat or smoke it's something else - reminds me of the old disinfectant in surgeries (carbolineum...) - possibly Laphroig would serve the same purpose 
but I agree thze great thing with whisky - however spelt is that you can try so many different varieties - and your taste may change (I loved Talisker, when I started with my first proper malts, than had a Laphroig phase and now I am the greatest Abunad' fan...)Cheers
in answer to the OP's question, yes.. it could easily be something you've digested earlier in the day.
listening (reading) the thoughts of others , their tastes will vary wildly anyway, so even if they dont like your tipple of choice, theres no reason to slate it out of hand as it were.
maybe think about what you've eaten/drunk during the day when it tastes good to the same when it tastes bad, might just be as simple as that.
but most of all.. (hopefully) enjoy!
listening (reading) the thoughts of others , their tastes will vary wildly anyway, so even if they dont like your tipple of choice, theres no reason to slate it out of hand as it were.
maybe think about what you've eaten/drunk during the day when it tastes good to the same when it tastes bad, might just be as simple as that.
but most of all.. (hopefully) enjoy!
Balmoral Green said:
I just knocked up 750ml of fake Laphroaig earlier this afternoon, with my latest run of moonshine and my evil chemistry set
How close did you manage to get flavour-wise BG? Im a Laphroaig fan, and know exactly what you mean about whisky tasting different on different days - to my mind its mostly to do with having a clear palate. Reading an interview where a journo tagged along with Jim Murray for a day in his life, Jim has a very very strict diet that will not colour his palate in any way so he can taste whisky all day long and not have outside influencing factors in there.
Most people will not go to such lengths - but in my limited experience, if you have a curry or a chilli etc, then you either wont get the full flavour, or it will feel like its melting your tongue depending on how hot the meal was.
If on the other hand you have a fairly bland meal then the whisky flavours should be able to break through.
Also bear in mind that a lot of the whisky boys will add varying degrees of water to their dram, which again, may take a little sting out of its tail if you're having a 'hot and fiery' experience with it one night.
Anyway, drink it how you like it, and enjoy...
Thanks for the replies. I'm not alone with the problem, which is reassuring. I'll keep an eye on which foods work well. I know more about wine than whisky so I understand that food must play a part in the taste.
In the world of wine a cracker or morsel of bread can neutralise the palete somewhat. Anybody got any tips for achieving the same with whisky? How do you whisky fans all deal with this situation?
In the world of wine a cracker or morsel of bread can neutralise the palete somewhat. Anybody got any tips for achieving the same with whisky? How do you whisky fans all deal with this situation?
A911DOM said:
Balmoral Green said:
I just knocked up 750ml of fake Laphroaig earlier this afternoon, with my latest run of moonshine and my evil chemistry set
How close did you manage to get flavour-wise BG? The problem with my recipe kit, is that most of the whiskys taste quite samey, as the raw spirit is sweet'ish to start with. The Glenfiddich is not too bad, as that has a hint of sweet orangeyness anyway, and the base spirit suits it. The Laphroaig is the only one that is distinctly different when made up, and very close IMO to the real thing.
Mine is a bit fiery as it's at 60%.
I have made up some Bourbon, various Whiskys, Gin, Triple Sec, and a bottle of the neat spirit to take on down to the PH foodie week in Wales, setting off about 5pm.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Tuesday 4th May 08:55
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