Head to head · same category, comparable price
Laphroaig Quarter Cask vs The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
They diverge on 4 of our eight axes, most of all peaty, 9 against 0.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Laphroaig Quarter Cask | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Speyside, Scotland |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Strength | 48% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, American oak quarter cask | Ex-bourbon American oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £44 | £72 |
| Per 10cl | £6.29 | £10 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £131 | £257 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: Laphroaig Quarter Cask from Islay, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask from Speyside.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask states 12 years; Laphroaig Quarter Cask states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: Laphroaig Quarter Cask in ex-bourbon barrel and american oak quarter cask, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask in ex-bourbon american oak and oloroso sherry-seasoned american oak.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is £28 dearer a bottle than Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
Strength keeps that ordering: £131 a litre of pure alcohol for Laphroaig Quarter Cask against £257.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Laphroaig Quarter Cask is 12th cheapest and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask 29th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Laphroaig Quarter Cask | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 9 | 0 |
| Sweet | 4 | 7 |
| Fruity | 3 | 6 |
| Spicy | 6 | 4 |
| Woody | 6 | 5 |
| Sherried | 1 | 7 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 8 | 6 |
4 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes sherried at 1 against 7, sweet at 4 against 7 and fruity at 3 against 6.
Level only on cereal, 4 each.
Each bottle in its own right
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig with the volume up — more oak, more sweetness, considerably more grip at 48%.
Double matured: standard ex-bourbon barrels, then re-racked into smaller quarter casks whose greater wood-to-spirit surface area speeds maturation. Laphroaig publishes no ABV, and one UK retailer lists 41.4% — that is a data error; 48% is confirmed by two independent retailers.
Full record →The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
Butterscotch, orange and a dry oak finish. Polished and very easy to like.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Laphroaig Quarter Cask for value at 48% and peat lovers, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask for gift and introduction to sherry cask.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Laphroaig Quarter Cask and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: laphroaig.com, themacallan.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.