THEDAILYWHISKY

The Laphroaig Willem Dafoe bottle, officially called Willem by Willem, is a 14-year-old Islay single malt matured in American oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 53.7% ABV. Dafoe selected the spirit himself alongside Laphroaig’s Senior Whisky Maker Sarah Dowling, and the brand deliberately shipped it with no official tasting notes. It carries an RRP of £139 / $156 for a 700ml bottle. After a Friends of Laphroaig ballot, it reached selected retailers worldwide from May 2026, including the UK, Germany, the US, Japan and Australia. We tasted it at a whisky event, and here is our verdict.

Some bottles you seek out because of the liquid inside. Some because of the design. This one made both arguments at the same time.

We had it on our list before we even walked through the doors at the event. It had just been released, the bottle was already circulating online, and a 14-year-old Islay malt finished in sherry casks at 53.7% ABV is the kind of spec sheet that earns its spot on any shortlist.

Who is Laphroaig and why this release matters

Laphroaig has been distilling on the Isle of Islay, off Scotland’s west coast, since 1815. It is one of the most recognisable names in peated whisky, built on a coastal, medicinal, iodine-laced smoke that drinkers tend to either love on first sip or grow into over time. The backbone of the distillery is ex-bourbon American oak maturation, but Laphroaig has long used additional cask finishes, from the Quarter Cask to the PX Cask to the 10 Year Old Sherry Oak, to add depth without burying the smoke.

Willem by Willem follows that same logic. The Oloroso sherry finish is there to meet the peat head-on, not to soften it into something unrecognisable.

The Dafoe connection started in September 2025, when the actor became a “Friend of Laphroaig”. This bottle is the first release he was actively involved in selecting. The hook of the campaign is that Laphroaig published no official tasting notes at all, inviting drinkers to interpret the whisky themselves through a poem, a sketch or a short film, with the best entry earning a role alongside Dafoe in a future Laphroaig film. The contest runs through August 2, 2026.

What it’s actually like to drink

The brand released this whisky without notes on purpose, so the notes below are our own, from tasting it at the event.

Laphroaig Willem by Willem tasting notes

Nose: Coastal peat smoke, iodine, dried fruit, a sherried sweetness sitting behind the smoke 
Palate: Smoke arrives first, then dried fruit and dark sugar from the Oloroso, warm and rounded, close to cask strength 
Finish: Long and warm, the smoke returning with sherry richness behind it rather than over it 
ABV: 53.7%
Cask: American oak ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry finish
Size: 700ml
Price: £139 / $156

This is a Scottish Islay whisky, so the baseline is smoke. But fourteen years of maturation and a sherry finish mean you are not getting only smoke. You get the dried fruit, the warmth and the roundness that sherry wood brings, without the Islay character disappearing underneath it.

At 53.7% ABV it is close to cask strength. Try it neat first, then add a few drops of water. The second pour tends to open up something the first one was holding back.

What makes the Laphroaig Willem Dafoe release different

Two things set this apart from the core range. The first is the age. At 14 years it has four more years in wood than the standard Laphroaig 10, and that extra time tends to mellow the sharper edges of the peat and give the spirit room to take on the cask.

The second is the Oloroso finish. Laphroaig’s sherried expressions, like the 10 Year Old Sherry Oak and the PX Cask, are where the distillery shows it can carry dried fruit and dark sugar alongside the smoke. Willem by Willem belongs in that conversation, with the bonus of an age statement most of those carry without.

The packaging deserves a mention too, because it holds back where most collaboration bottles overreach. The design is clean and considered. The Dafoe connection gives it character without turning the bottle into a costume.

Price and availability

Willem by Willem launched at an RRP of £139 in the UK and $156 in the US, with European pricing landing around the same level. UK specialist retailers have listed it close to £135.

The initial run went out through a Friends of Laphroaig ballot on Laphroaig.com, which has now closed. Since then it has been sold through selected retailers worldwide while stocks last. Launch markets included the UK, the US, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Japan, Australia and Global Travel Retail. If you want one, your best route now is a specialist whisky shop with international shipping rather than the distillery site.

Is it worth £139?

If you already drink Laphroaig, this is an easy yes. The Oloroso finish adds a layer without softening the whisky into something you would not recognise, and the age statement gives it more body than the entry-level bottlings.

If you are newer to Islay malts, it is a more forgiving way in than the cask strength 10, precisely because the sherry gives the smoke some company.

At £139 you are paying something for the Dafoe name and the packaging, no question. But the liquid stands on its own. Set against the Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry Oak or the PX Cask, it holds its corner, and the 14-year age statement is the thing those bottles do not always give you.

The bottle you will probably want to keep. The whisky you will want to share. If you have been circling it, a limited release sold while stocks last is not one to sit on.

Frequently asked questions

What is Laphroaig Willem by Willem? Willem by Willem is a limited-edition Islay single malt from Laphroaig, selected by actor Willem Dafoe with Senior Whisky Maker Sarah Dowling. It is a 14-year-old whisky matured in American oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 53.7% ABV, and released deliberately without official tasting notes.

What does Laphroaig Willem by Willem taste like? Laphroaig published no official notes for this release. In our tasting it showed Laphroaig’s coastal peat smoke and iodine alongside dried fruit and a dark, sherried sweetness from the Oloroso finish. The body is warm and rounded at close to cask strength, with a long, smoky finish carrying sherry richness behind it.

How much does Laphroaig Willem by Willem cost? The recommended retail price is £139 in the UK and $156 in the US, with European pricing around the same level. UK specialist retailers have listed it close to £135 for a 700ml bottle. As a limited release sold while stocks last, prices can rise once retail stock runs out.

Where can I buy Laphroaig Willem by Willem? The first run was sold via a Friends of Laphroaig ballot on Laphroaig.com, now closed. It is now available through selected retailers worldwide while stocks last. Launch markets included the UK, US, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Japan and Australia, so a specialist shop with international shipping is your best route.

Is Laphroaig Willem by Willem cask strength? Not quite. It is bottled at 53.7% ABV, which is close to cask strength but reduced. That strength carries the smoke and sherry well neat, and a few drops of water open it up further without thinning out the body.

What is Laphroaig known for? Laphroaig has distilled on Islay since 1815 and is one of the defining names in peated Scotch. It is known for an intensely smoky, medicinal, coastal style built on ex-bourbon maturation, with sherry and quarter cask finishes used across the range to add depth without losing the peat.