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In this Laphroaig 35 Year Old review, we score Strong Characters Chapter 2 9/10. It is a 35-year-old Islay single malt from Laphroaig, matured for its entire life in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, bottled at 43.8% ABV and limited to 5,500 bottles worldwide. RRP is £880 (around €1,000). We tasted it at Whisky Live Paris and found fresh apple, fresh pear and a full, rounded body leading the way, with Laphroaig’s peat smoke softened by time into a gentle, velvety presence behind the fruit. The finish is long, and that soft, elegant smoke returns once the fruit fades. It is available from Laphroaig.com and UK specialists.

Thirty-five years changes smoke. Not by taking it away, but by changing its texture.

That was the first thing we noticed when Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2 was poured for us at Whisky Live Paris. The peat is still there, unmistakably Laphroaig, but it no longer arrives first. It waits behind fresh orchard fruit and then settles in, soft and almost creamy, as if the whisky has learned to say the same thing in a quieter voice.

We have long felt that Laphroaig becomes something special somewhere between 20 and 30 years of age, when the smoke takes on a character you rarely find in younger bottlings. Chapter 2 pushes that idea five years further, and the result was one of the most memorable drams we tasted in Paris this year.

We tasted it with Teddy from Suntory Global Spirits, who works closely with both Laphroaig and Bowmore. Having someone who knows these casks so well talk us through the glass made it all the better.

What is Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2?

It is the second release in Laphroaig’s Strong Characters series, a run of very old, limited bottlings that each honour a person who shaped the distillery. Chapter 2 was released in August 2026 and is one of the oldest Laphroaig expressions released by the distillery in recent years.

Distillery: Laphroaig, Islay, Scotland

Age: 35 years old

Cask: American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, full maturation

ABV: 43.8% Volume: 70cl Outturn: 5,500 bottles worldwide Released: August 2026 Price: £880 / approx. €1,000

Who made it: Laphroaig, Dugald Johnston and a story of patience

Laphroaig sits on the south coast of Islay, the Hebridean island off Scotland’s west coast that is home to some of the world’s most heavily peated single malts. The distillery was founded in 1815 by brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston and is today owned by Suntory Global Spirits. It is one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries that still malts part of its own barley on traditional floor maltings, drying it over Islay peat.

Chapter 1 of Strong Characters, released in October 2024, was a 33-year-old dedicated to co-founder Donald Johnston, and its maturation included sherry casks.

Chapter 2 turns to his son, Dugald. He was only 11 when his father died in 1847 and the distillery passed to him. For the next decade it was run by Walter Graham, a distiller from neighbouring Lagavulin, before Dugald formally took charge in 1857 at the age of 21. He then guided Laphroaig through a hard period for Islay, reputedly more than doubling the distillery’s output while keeping its character intact.

A patient man, honoured with a patient whisky. His story is told on the packaging through illustrations by British artist Bill Bragg, who spent time sketching on Islay for the project.

Laphroaig 35 Year Old tasting notes

Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2 tasting notes

Nose: Crisp fresh apple, juicy fresh pear the ex-bourbon oak keeping the fruit bright after 35 years with a soft wisp of peat smoke drifting in behind.

Palate: Full and rounded, real weight in the mouth, layered apple and pear, the smoke arriving as a soft, velvety hint behind the fruit rather than in front of it.

Finish: Long, mouth-filling, generous volume that keeps the fruit going then the smoke returns, soft, elegant and lingering.

ABV: 43.8% | Cask: American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads

Price: £880 / approx. €1,000

What makes it different: the smoke has changed texture, not volume

Most people meet Laphroaig through its younger expressions, where peat smoke, iodine and sea air arrive first and loudest. That is the distillery’s signature, and it is why so many drinkers fall for it.

Chapter 2 shows what happens when that same spirit is given three and a half decades in American oak. The smoke has not disappeared. It has changed consistency.

Where a young Laphroaig puts the peat at the front of the stage, this one lets fresh apple and pear take the lead and keeps the smoke in the wings, giving depth to everything in front of it. Then, on the finish, the smoke steps forward again for the final word.

The all-bourbon-cask maturation matters here. With no sherry influence, nothing covers the fruit, which is why it stays so fresh and clean at this age. It also makes a fascinating counterpoint to Chapter 1, whose sherry-cask component took the series in a richer direction.

Laphroaig’s own notes for this bottling point towards baked pastry and cherries. In our glass, the freshness of the orchard fruit was the defining feature, and it is that freshness at 35 years old that impressed us most.

Laphroaig 35 Year Old review: is it worth £880?

Score: 9/10 Thirty-five years have turned Laphroaig’s smoke into velvet, and fresh orchard fruit now leads the way.

What lifts it to a 9 is the way it finishes. The long, full-bodied volume in the mouth gives the fruit room to unfold, and only then does the smoke come back, soft and elegant, to round everything off. It is a whisky that rewards patience in the glass, much as Dugald Johnston’s patience rewarded the distillery.

This is for the peat drinker who has come to love smoke at its most refined. If you want mature, elegant smoke that supports rather than dominates, Chapter 2 is about as good as it gets. It is also a brilliant bottle to share with a friend who has always found Laphroaig too bold, because it shows a side of the distillery few people get to taste.

It is not the bottle for anyone chasing the full force of young, medicinal Islay smoke. If that is your Laphroaig, the core range does it brilliantly at a fraction of the price.

Value verdict: £880 is serious money, but for a 35-year-old Islay single malt from a distillery whose oldest stocks are increasingly scarce, it is fairly placed. It is also priced below Chapter 1, the younger 33-year-old, which launched at £960 in the UK.

Price and availability in the UK, Europe and the US

Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2 carries an RRP of £880 in the UK, approximately €1,000 in Europe. It is limited to 5,500 bottles worldwide.

The distillery sells it directly through Laphroaig.com in its current shipping markets, with Germany added from September 2026.

Readers in Europe should check Laphroaig.com and their local specialists, as allocations vary by market. With only 5,500 bottles shared across every market, we would not wait long.

Frequently asked questions

What is Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2? It is a limited-edition 35-year-old Islay single malt Scotch whisky from Laphroaig, released in August 2026. The second bottling in the Strong Characters series, it honours Dugald Johnston, son of co-founder Donald Johnston, who inherited the distillery in 1847 at the age of 11. Only 5,500 bottles have been released worldwide.

What does Laphroaig 35 Year Old taste like? In our tasting, fresh apple and fresh pear lead on both nose and palate, supported by a full, rounded body. Laphroaig’s peat smoke is still present, but 35 years in American oak have softened it into a gentle, velvety hint behind the fruit. The finish is long, with soft, elegant smoke returning at the end.

What score did The Daily Whisky give Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2? The Daily Whisky scored Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2 9/10. We tasted it at Whisky Live Paris and rated it exceptional for its fresh orchard fruit, full body, long finish and the soft, elegant character of its smoke, which shows how beautifully Laphroaig’s peat evolves with great age.

How much does Laphroaig 35 Year Old cost? Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2 has an RRP of £880 in the UK, around €1,000 in Europe, for a 70cl bottle. UK retailers including The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt list it at £880 or just under. Prices in other markets vary with local taxes and allocation.

Where can I buy Laphroaig 35 Year Old Strong Characters Chapter 2? It is available from Laphroaig.com in the distillery’s shipping markets, including Germany, and from UK specialists such as The Whisky Shop, Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange. In the United States it has been offered through Total Wine & More. With just 5,500 bottles worldwide, stock is limited.

Is Laphroaig 35 Year Old cask strength, and what cask is it matured in? No. It is bottled at 43.8% ABV rather than at cask strength. It spent its full 35 years in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads. Unlike Chapter 1, which included sherry casks, there is no sherry influence here, which helps explain its fresh, clean orchard fruit character.