Laphroaig Quarter Cask
The same peat smoke as the 10 Years, but in a velvety frame of toffee, vanilla and coconut. The small quarter casks add more wood and sweetness, while the 48% gives it more body.
What a small cask does to smoke
Laphroaig Quarter Cask first matures in standard ex-bourbon casks made of American oak, then moves into much smaller casks, the quarter casks. In such a small cask, proportionally more whisky comes into contact with the wood. This accelerates the interaction and gives the whisky depth, complexity and, as the distillery puts it, a velvety framework for the peat smoke.
You can taste the difference from the 10 Years immediately: more toffee, caramel and vanilla, with hints of coconut and banana, while the iodine and seaweed of Islay remain present. It has no age statement and is bottled at 48% instead of 40%, making it fuller and more oily. A few drops of water open it up further.
In short
Toffee and coconut around a core of smoke
Caramel and smoldering peat
Toffee, caramel, coconut and a hint of banana, underpinned by Laphroaig's smoldering peat smoke.
Vanilla and seaweed
Full and smooth, with vanilla, toffee and wood, followed by iodine, peat and seaweed. Sweeter than the 10 Years, but no less smoky.
Long and dry
A long finish that dries beautifully on the tongue, leaving a hint of smoke and spice.
Tasting profile of Laphroaig Quarter Cask neat. A few drops of water bring out the vanilla and coconut further.
How to get the most out of Quarter Cask
At 48%, this is a whisky that enjoys a little water. Taste it neat first and then diluted, so you can experience what the water does.
Neat, then with water
Pour 30 ml into a tulip-shaped tasting glass and take a first sip neat. Then add five to ten drops of water and let the glass stand for a minute: the smoke recedes, and toffee and coconut come forward.
Glass: tasting glass →Smoky Old Fashioned
50 ml Quarter Cask, 1 barspoon sugar syrup, and 2 dashes Angostura, stirred with ice and strained over a large ice cube in a tumbler. The quarter-cask vanilla does the work of bourbon.
Go to the recipe →Smoky highball
40 ml Quarter Cask in a long drink glass filled with ice, topped with 120 ml cold soda water and a strip of lemon peel. Light and fresh, but with a distinct wisp of smoke.
Highball recipe →Cocktails for fuller smoke
The extra body and sweetness make Quarter Cask strong enough to carry an entire cocktail, not just serve as a splash on top.
Smoky Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar, and bitters. With Quarter Cask vanilla, toffee, and a warm layer of smoke.
Rusty Nail
Scotch and Drambuie over ice. The liqueur's honey and the wood's coconut complement each other.
Highball
Whisky and soda water over plenty of ice. The 48% ABV keeps the flavor intact, even when diluted.
Smoky Manhattan
Whisky, sweet vermouth, and bitters, stirred until chilled. Smoke and vermouth in rich balance.The right glass for Laphroaig Quarter Cask
A tulip-shaped tasting glass to separate the smoke from the vanilla, a heavy tumbler for the Old Fashioned, and a tall glass for the highball.
More Laphroaig expressions
Laphroaig
Where it began. On the brand page, learn all about Laphroaig: its origins, varieties, and classic cocktails.
To Laphroaig →
Laphroaig Select
Smoky but balanced thanks to five cask types, including sherry. The gentlest introduction to Laphroaig and great in cocktails.
View Laphroaig Select →
Laphroaig Lore
Whiskies aged from seven to twenty-one years in oloroso sherry casks and quarter casks. Rich and smoky, with an almost eternal finish.
View Laphroaig Lore →
Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak
The 10 Years finished in oloroso sherry casks. Dried fruit and toffee alongside the smoke.
View Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak →
Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength
The 10 Years straight from the cask. Intense, oily and explosively smoky; dilute with water to taste.
View Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength →Everything about whisky: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Can't find your question here? Read more on the Laphroaig page or explore our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Laphroaig →