Head to head · same category, comparable price
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Laphroaig 10 Year Old
They diverge on 4 of our eight axes, most of all peaty, 0 against 9.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Laphroaig 10 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 10 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Ex-bourbon barrel |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £45 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £6.43 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £161 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Laphroaig 10 Year Old from Islay.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old states 12 years, 2 more on paper.
Shared base of ex-bourbon barrel. The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old adds oloroso sherry butt.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is £5.00 dearer a bottle than Laphroaig 10 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £161 a litre of pure alcohol for Laphroaig 10 Year Old against £166.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and Laphroaig 10 Year Old 21st cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Laphroaig 10 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 9 |
| Sweet | 8 | 2 |
| Fruity | 6 | 2 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 4 |
| Sherried | 6 | 1 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
4 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes sweet at 8 against 2, sherried at 6 against 1 and fruity at 6 against 2.
Identical on spicy and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Laphroaig 10 Year Old
Medicinal, seaweed and ash. The most divisive dram in mainstream whisky.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift and after dinner, Laphroaig 10 Year Old for testing whether you like peat at all.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Laphroaig 10 Year Old: thebalvenie.com, laphroaig.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.