Head to head · same category, comparable price
Bowmore 12 Year Old vs Laphroaig 10 Year Old
They diverge on 4 of our eight axes, most of all sweet, 6 against 2.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Bowmore 12 Year Old | Laphroaig 10 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 10 years |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | American oak ex-bourbon cask, European oak Oloroso sherry cask | Ex-bourbon barrel |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £38 | £45 |
| Per 10cl | £5.43 | £6.43 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £136 | £161 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both Islay whiskies, from different distilleries.
Bowmore 12 Year Old states 12 years, 2 more on paper.
Cask as each producer describes it: Bowmore 12 Year Old in american oak ex-bourbon cask and european oak oloroso sherry cask, Laphroaig 10 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Laphroaig 10 Year Old is £7.00 dearer a bottle than Bowmore 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £136 a litre of pure alcohol for Bowmore 12 Year Old against £161.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Bowmore 12 Year Old is 16th cheapest and Laphroaig 10 Year Old 21st cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Bowmore 12 Year Old | Laphroaig 10 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 6 | 9 |
| Sweet | 6 | 2 |
| Fruity | 5 | 2 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 4 |
| Sherried | 5 | 1 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
4 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after sweet comes sherried at 5 against 1, peaty at 6 against 9 and fruity at 5 against 2.
Identical on spicy and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Sea salt, lemon and gentle smoke over sherried fruit. The most balanced entry-level Islay.
Bowmore is precise about wood and silent on strength — its page specifies hand-selected ex-bourbon and Oloroso casks while stating no ABV anywhere. Not to be confused with the separate Bowmore 12 Sherry Oak Cask SKU.
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: Bowmore 12 Year Old for peat curious and all-rounder, Laphroaig 10 Year Old for testing whether you like peat at all.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Bowmore 12 Year Old and Laphroaig 10 Year Old: bowmore.com, laphroaig.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.