Laphroaig Quarter Cask
The same peat smoke as the 10 Years, but wrapped in a velvety blend of toffee, vanilla and coconut. The small quarter casks add more oak and sweetness, while the 48% gives it more body.
What a small cask does to smoke
Laphroaig Quarter Cask is first matured in standard American oak ex-bourbon casks, then transferred to much smaller casks called quarter casks. In such a small cask, proportionally more whisky comes into contact with the wood. This speeds up the interaction and gives the whisky depth and complexity and, as the distillery puts it, a velvety frame for the peat smoke.
You'll taste the difference from the 10 Years straight away: more toffee, caramel and vanilla, with hints of coconut and banana, while the iodine and seaweed of Islay remain. It has no age statement and is bottled at 48% rather than 40%, making it fuller and oilier. A few drops of water open it up further.
In brief
Toffee and coconut around a core of smoke
Caramel and smouldering peat
Toffee, caramel, coconut and a hint of banana, underpinned by Laphroaig's smouldering peat smoke.
Vanilla and seaweed
Full and smooth, with vanilla, toffee and oak, followed by iodine, peat and seaweed. Sweeter than the 10 Years, but no less smoky.
Long and dry
A long finish that dries nicely on the tongue, leaving a hint of smoke and spice.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask tasting notes neat. With a few drops of water, vanilla and coconut come through more.
How to get the most out of Quarter Cask
At 48% ABV, this is a whisky that welcomes a little water. Taste it neat first, then diluted, so you can hear what the water does.
Neat, then with water
Pour 30 ml into a tulip-shaped tasting glass and take the first sip neat. Then add five to ten drops of water and let the glass sit 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 over ice and strained over a large ice cube in a tumbler. The quarter casks' vanilla does the work of bourbon.
Go to recipe →Smoky highball
40 ml Quarter Cask in a longdrink glass filled with ice, topped up with 120 ml cold sparkling water and a strip of lemon peel. Light and refreshing, with a distinct trail of smoke.
Highball recipe →Cocktails for a fuller smoke
The extra body and sweetness make Quarter Cask bold enough to carry a whole cocktail, not just 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 sparkling water over plenty of ice. The 48% ABV keeps the flavor going, 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 tease apart the smoke and vanilla, a heavy tumbler for the Old Fashioned and a tall glass for the highball.
More Laphroaig flavors
Laphroaig
Where it began. Read all about Laphroaig on the brand page: 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 seven to twenty-one years from oloroso sherry casks and quarter casks. Rich and smoky, with an almost eternally long 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 undiluted 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 check out our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Laphroaig →What is the alcohol percentage in Laphroaig Quarter Cask?
What is a quarter cask?
What’s the difference between Laphroaig 10 and Quarter Cask?
Should you add water to Laphroaig Quarter Cask?
Is Laphroaig Quarter Cask smoky?
Buy Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Want to have the bottle at home right away? Order Laphroaig Quarter Cask online from Gall & Gall.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can see the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it costs you nothing extra. No 18, no alcohol.
