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The Archive Collection Continues
A brilliantly rare flavour that’s been decades in the making
Time-honoured craft, enduring passion – and a whole lot of heart. These are just some of the ingredients that go into every drop of The Archive Collection. Today, we can announce the arrival of the long-awaited second edition of the series: a unique, limited-edition bottling that’s worth every moment of the decades it’s taken to develop.
Introducing The Archive Collection 38-Year-Old. This is a remarkable addition to an esteemed collection which has been highly sought after since we unveiled its predecessor, The Archive Collection 36-Year-Old, back at the start of 2024.
A snapshot of Laphroaig history
To get to know this very special whisky, we can trace its origins right back to the 1980s. This was a time of change for Laphroaig, which – amid turbulence in the industry as a whole – saw us put the brakes on production as we laid the groundwork for major upgrades to our distillery.
Business as usual? More like a perfect storm. But in typical Laphroaig style, our focus never wavered. With Distillery Manager Murdo Reed at the tiller, we weathered the changes and sailed through into a new era.
After all, we never compromise when it comes to creating a memorable single malt, and that’s never truer than in the case of our aged whiskies. Each bottle is a labour of love that’s only made possible due to the nous of some of Islay’s finest whisky-making talents: master distillers and their teams who are steadfast in their dedication to creating the very best whisky, no matter what.
The Archive Collection 38-Year-Old is a shining example of their craft at work, and a fitting tribute to a moment of change in our distillery’s story.
Harnessing the power of time
If you’re a fan of our whiskies, you’ll be well acquainted with our distinctive peaty thump. In the case of our aged editions, the passing of decades allows for an even broader spectrum of aromas and flavours to rise to the fore alongside it.
Distilled in 1985, The Archive Collection 38-Year-Old is a uniquely aged Scotch which offers up exactly this kind of bold twist on our signature profile, as our smoky character steps back ever so slightly – though don’t worry, not completely – to leave just the right amount of space for fruity flavours to intensify and pull into focus.
When it came to reaching the perfect balance of flavours on this occasion, time, as ever, was a crucial ingredient. But time on its own is not enough: you need timing, too. It takes distillers with a keen sense of intuition to channel the passing years into an exceptional whisky. It’s by carefully selecting casks and choosing the right rhythms – when to move the spirit, when to let it rest – that our distillers have imbued our rare whiskies from the 1980s with qualities such as a fruity or even tropical dimension: a perfect complement to the distinctive smokiness that remains the bedrock of our tasting profile.
Creating a beautiful bottle out of this abandoned glass took time and patience, mirroring the distillation process of the whisky within. The bottle’s information was then laser etched on to it, doing away with the need for a label on this occasion, and turning this limited run of 400 bottles – which were sold in a ballot – into even more of a collector’s item.
Now, Archive 38-Year-Old will connect an even wider span of time in time between the day the spirit was first poured into casks to the moment you uncork your bottle and sit back to savour that dram.
A truly special flavour
First of all, The Archive Collection 38-Year-Old was aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels. These have been part of our DNA since the days of Ian Hunter, one of our early Distillery Managers, and Bessy Williamson, another visionary who Ian handed the reins to once he’d completed a long and happy whisky-making career. Later, at just the right moment, the spirit was transported to a new home so it could benefit from taking just as much time as it needed to rest in second-fill Oloroso sherry-seasoned European oak butt.
The result is a limited-edition whisky that wonderfully showcases a distinctively Laphroaig complexity. Expect a lovely harmony of spice and fruit flavours with a refreshing burst of orange zest on the nose. You’ll pick up dried apricots and sultanas, before the journey takes you deeper towards a rich seam of salted caramel. It never gets too heavy, as notes of crystallised ginger cut through to keep up a tantalisingly spicy edge on the palate.
And when we said our smoky character steps back a bit for this one, you might want to take that with a grain of salt, because we really are very attached to our full-bodied peaty profile. The unmistakable taste of Laphroaig is never too far away, returning just in time to offer a mouthwatering sensation that’s the perfect partner to a lasting sweetness on the finish.
Made by our people
A maturation process has to be watched over, day by day, year by year. It’s a craft that no single person could ever achieve alone, and The Archive Collection 38-Year-Old pays homage to every distiller who’s acted as its custodian over the years.
As we’ve mentioned, Murdo Reed was the pioneer for this bottling. Murdo was the first Distillery Manager to look after it, watching over that crucial early stage of development and ensuring it was left to mature freely with minimal impact on the spirit. He passed the baton to Colin Ross, and after him came a long line of brilliant Laphroaig distillers: Iain Henderson, Robin Shields, John Campbell, Barry McAffer, and most recently, George Campbell.
All of these talented Distillery Managers poured their hearts into their craft, acting as the guardians of our casks as the decades have gone by. It’s only because of their foresight and verve that we can enjoy Archive 38-Year-Old in the form it was meant to be enjoyed today.
