Laphroaig has reintroduced its 15-Year-Old single malt to the US market, more than a decade after it was discontinued, and it’s a permanent addition this time, joining Laphroaig’s 10-Year-Old and 18-Year-Old as a complete core lineup.
The whisky is matured for 15 years in American oak bourbon casks and bottled at 46% ABV. Sarah Dowling, senior whisky blender for Scotch and Irish at Suntory Global Spirits, described the profile as opening with vibrant citrus, moving into sea salt and smoke on the palate, with a fruity sweetness toward the finish.
To mark the US launch, Laphroaig partnered with Women Who Whiskey, a nearly 20,000-member whiskey club, which is also celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The two brands hosted a series of member tastings around the timing overlap.
The return comes during an active stretch for the distillery. Laphroaig’s 10-Year-Old and 18-Year-Old both picked up gold at the 2025 International Wine & Spirit Competition, and its Elements 2.0 expression was named Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year in 2024. The brand also put out a new cask-strength Càirdeas release last year, timed to Islay’s Fèis Ìle festival, as part of its regular pipeline of limited editions alongside the core range.
The missing fifteen!
The 15-Year-Old originally launched in 1985 and disappeared from shelves in the late 2000s, briefly resurfacing once in 2015 for the distillery’s 200th anniversary before vanishing again. Its return fills a notable gap, since Laphroaig’s core range jumped straight from the 10-Year-Old to the 18-Year-Old for most of the past decade, without anything in between for drinkers who wanted more depth than the 10 but weren’t ready to pay 18-year prices.
At $89, the new 15-Year-Old also comes with a real upgrade over its old version, bottled at 46% ABV instead of the previous 43%. That’s a more serious presentation than the original run got, and it fits a pattern showing up across Scotch generally this year: brands leaning back into real age statements and more transparent, less processed releases, rather than relying on vague blend names to do the marketing work.
For long-time Islay whisky drinkers, it’s a perfect mid-level addition as opposed to a nostalgia play.
Where to buy it
Laphroaig 15-Year-Old is available now nationwide, priced at $89.
