Laphroaig in Westford: which bottle to buy

Laphroaig is a peated Islay single malt Scotch, and CBC Liquors in Westford carries the 10 Year, 10 Year Cairdeas, Lore Cask, Select, 10 Year Sherry Oak and Cairdeas Lore Cask. You can see them all on our Laphroaig brand page, then pick up at 142 Littleton Rd or have an order delivered.

What is Laphroaig?

Laphroaig is a single malt Scotch whisky made on the island of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. Single malt means the whisky comes from malted barley and from one distillery. It is known for a smoky, medicinal, seaweed-and-iodine character that comes from drying the malted barley over peat fires.

That character is what sets it apart from the softer Speyside and Highland malts many people start with. If you have only tried fruity or honeyed Scotch, Laphroaig will taste like a different drink altogether. Some people love it at once and some take a few tries.

The full run of bottles we carry is on the Laphroaig brand page, which is the quickest way to see what is on the shelf before you drive over.

What does Laphroaig taste like?

Expect peat smoke first, then a briny, coastal note, with a sweetness underneath that comes from the oak. Many people describe it as campfire smoke, iodine and sea air, followed by vanilla and a dry finish.

The smoke is not the same as the heat you get from a high-proof spirit. It is a flavor, not a burn, and it sits in the background of a well-made bottle once your palate adjusts.

If you are deciding whether Laphroaig is for you, it helps to know how you feel about smoked foods. If you enjoy smoked salmon, a smoky barbecue sauce or a campfire marshmallow, you are likely to enjoy this style.

Which Laphroaig bottles does CBC Liquors carry?

The core bottle is Laphroaig 10 Year, the standard place to start. It carries an age statement of ten years, which means the youngest whisky in the bottle spent at least that long in the cask.

Laphroaig Select is a non-age-statement bottle that blends whisky from different types of cask. Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak brings sherry-cask influence to the same ten-year base, which usually means a rounder, fruitier, slightly sweeter profile alongside the smoke.

Laphroaig Lore CASK is a more layered release, and the two Cairdeas bottles, Laphroaig 10 Year CAIRDEAS and Laphroaig Cairdeas Lore Cask, are covered in the next section.

What is Cairdeas?

Cairdeas is Gaelic for friendship. It is the name Laphroaig gives to its limited festival releases, which are tied to the annual Fèis Ìle, Islay's whisky and music festival. A new Cairdeas bottling appears each year with its own cask makeup, so one year's bottle tastes different from another's.

That is why Cairdeas bottles are different from the everyday 10 Year. They are made in a limited run, usually bottled at a higher strength, and meant to be tasted as a one-off rather than a house standard.

We carry two: Laphroaig 10 Year CAIRDEAS and Laphroaig Cairdeas Lore Cask. If you are buying for a collector or a whisky fan who already knows the 10 Year, these are the ones worth looking at.

How do I choose between the Laphroaig bottles?

Start with what you want to learn. If it is your first Laphroaig, the 10 Year is the clearest picture of the house style, with peat, brine and oak and nothing else to distract.

If you already know the 10 Year and want to see how cask choice changes the whisky, the Sherry Oak is a good side-by-side. Same distillery character, different wood, and a different finish.

If you are buying a gift for someone who already drinks Islay malts, the Cairdeas or Lore bottles are the more considered choice. A gift card from our gift cards page is there if you would rather let them pick their own bottle.

How should I drink Laphroaig?

Neat in a small tulip-shaped glass is the usual way, so the smoke has room to open up. Pour a small measure, smell it before you taste it, and take your time.

A few drops of room-temperature water can loosen the whisky and bring out sweeter notes behind the peat. Add it a drop at a time and taste as you go.

Laphroaig also works in cocktails that want smoke, such as a Penicillin or a smoky Old Fashioned. Because the flavor is strong, most recipes use it as a float or a small measure rather than the whole base.

Can I pick up or get Laphroaig delivered in Westford?

Yes. You can walk in at 142 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA 01886, or order for pickup. Store and pickup hours are the same: Sunday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

We also offer delivery, with delivery hours of Sunday 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM. The liquor delivery areas page shows where we deliver, and there are town pages for Chelmsford, Acton, Lowell and others.

Shipping is offered as well, and our shipping policy explains how it works. You must be 21 or older to buy, and ID is required.

Where else can I browse Scotch and whiskey?

If Laphroaig is your first Islay malt and you want to look around, the Scotch page is where you can browse our Scotch whisky. The wider whiskey page covers the rest of the whiskey range.

Many Scotch whiskies, Laphroaig included, are matured in casks that previously held American whiskey, which is part of where the vanilla and sweetness come from. If you want to compare, the bourbon page is where you can browse.

We have a 4.7 out of 5 Google rating from 339 reviews, and if you have a question about which bottle suits what you are after, ask us at the counter.