Find out more about Laphroaig’s Elements 2.0

Suntory Global Spirits-owned Islay distillery Laphroaig recently released its Elements 2.0 expression. But what can you expect from the whisky and why has it been created? Jessica Mason reports.

Laphroaig Elements 2.0 is the second in Laphroaig’s Elements series of whiskies and was first revealed to the sector in May, illustrating the flavour impact of extending the fermentation period with up to almost five full days in the tun, totalling 115 hours.

The goal for the series was initially to “add complexity” by experimenting with different distillation techniques and its release came hot on the heels of last year’s Laphroaig Elements 1.0, the Islay distillery’s inaugural series offering. In the first instalment, the company used a combination of cloudy and semi-cloudy wort and a 8.5-tonne and an 11-tonne mash, all of which emphasised notes of sea salt, peppery spice and tropical fruits.

Speaking to the drinks business, Edrington UK senior whisky specialist David Miles described how the Laphroaig Elements Series tapped into the trend for craft. He pondered: “Does it follow a craft trend? Absolutely” and noted how all of the people who had a hand in creating the whisky were namechecked on the bottle’s packaging, humanising it, while also calling the creation of the expression “playful|”.

Miles told db: “We want to emphasise those who power the production, the profit or societal shift is not made by machines.”

Additionally, Miles also alluded to those creating Laphroaig as “skilled” and said that the company wanted to highlight there were people behind the brand. He explained: “They know what they’re doing and there’s creativity because of their knowledge and their experience that we can put away and that’s one of the reasons we are paying tribute to them”.

Miles said that, despite these launches, the flagship bottling was still Laphroaig’s 10 Year Old and insisted: “A glass of Laphroaig 10 Year Old is your benchmark. The classic Laphroaig if someone says ‘I’m a Laphroaig drinker’. If you walk into most bars or restaurants, this is the Laphroaig they will have. It is what everything else is built on.”

But, he hinted: “16 is going to fade into the background. If you don’t have a bottle of that yet, that would be your hint to go and get a bottle. But the reason it’s fading into the background is because the 14 is coming back.”

He reiterated how the Elements Series “is all about playing” and about our “workers having fun at the distillery” and “it’s about what we can do to change things by playing around with the distillery character”.

Miles pointed out that “it is just a way of showing what we can play with” and warned “if all you are striving for is consistency in what you do, then everything will always be the same” But, he remarked that “there is this idea that consistency is the enemy of excellence, because consistency rules out the improvement process. Laphroaig is not a museum. It is a living breathing whisky. It should not always be just the same, because that rules out excellence. That rules out improvement”.

Miles added that “the Elements Series is appealing more to the escapist and the people who want to know about filtration laws” and highlighted how “this not going to be everywhere” and urged people to seek it out.

Elements 2.0 is available to buy from select specialist retailers, including The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt, also retailing at £170 per bottle.