Laphroaig 10 Year Old / Bot.1990s / Post Royal Warrant Islay Whisky

Natasha Volkov — Great but the price is hard to justify

7/10

Look, this is a lovely dram — classic tarry rope, bandages, and a long briny finish. But at nine hundred quid I kept comparing it to what else I could buy for that money. The post Royal Warrant era Laphroaig is special, no question, but I think nostalgia is doing a lot of heavy lifting on the secondary market here.

Luna Chavez — Time capsule worth every penny

9/10

Tracked down this 1990s bottling after years of searching and it did not disappoint. The peat is rounder and more medicinal than modern Laphroaig 10, with this gorgeous iodine and seaweed character that just doesn't come through the same way anymore. I nurse this one neat, obviously — at £900 you're not mixing it with anything.

Clara Johansson — Time capsule worth every penny

9/10

Tracked down this 1990s bottling after years of searching and it did not disappoint. The peat is rounder and more medicinal than modern Laphroaig 10, with this gorgeous iodine and seaweed character that just doesn't come through the same way anymore. I nurse this one neat, obviously — at £900 you're not mixing it with anything.

Gianluca Ferro — Time capsule worth every penny

9/10

Tracked down this 1990s bottling after years of searching and it did not disappoint. The peat is rounder and more medicinal than modern Laphroaig 10, with this gorgeous iodine and seaweed character that just doesn't come through the same way anymore. I nurse this one neat, obviously — at £900 you're not mixing it with anything.

Tyler Bennet — Old-school Islay at its finest

8/10

Got to try this at a friend's tasting night and was blown away by how different it is from the current 10. Still unmistakably Laphroaig at 43%, but there's a richness and oily quality to the smoke that the modern stuff has lost. Would I pay £900 for a bottle myself? Probably not, but I understand why collectors do.

Priya Sharma — Old-school Islay at its finest

8/10

Got to try this at a friend's tasting night and was blown away by how different it is from the current 10. Still unmistakably Laphroaig at 43%, but there's a richness and oily quality to the smoke that the modern stuff has lost. Would I pay £900 for a bottle myself? Probably not, but I understand why collectors do.