Laphroaig Ian Hunter 34 YO Book 4 (70cl, 46.2%)

Whisky lovers and collectors, take note. This is the fourth release in the new 15-part series from the legendary Laphroaig (the UK’s No.1 Peated Malt according to the experts at Nielson).

The Ian Hunter Story Book 4 is entitled ‘Malt Master’ – and it tells the story of Laphroaig’s floor maltings, which were established by the great man himself. Ian Hunter was the last of the Johnston family – the founding family – to own and run the Laphroaig distillery. His tenure between 1908 and 1944 had a profound impact not only on the distillery, but on Islay whisky as a whole. This Scotch has an extra year on the previous release in the series, which will make it even more sought-after. Book 4 is a 34 Year Old from 1987, which was matured in ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks. The bottle comes hidden inside a hardback book, which tells the fourth part of Ian Hunter’s history and the legacy he left behind in every drop of Laphroaig distilled since.

Bottled at 46.2%, the famous Laphroaig peat shines through, but it’s remarkably complex. Lose yourself in dried apricots, ripe peach, smoked black pepper, tobacco, orange blossom, Dundee cake, runny honey, charred oak, campfires, old-fashioned toffee and barbequed pork. And there comes that big hit of maritime peat smoke redolent of iodine and the billowing chimneys of harbourside cottages in a fishing village. Simply stunning.

Books 1, 2 and 3 sold out rapidly everywhere. So, grab Book 4 while stocks last.