Is this the first creation from Laphroaig’s partnership with Willem Dafoe?

Monday, 08 December 2025 at 08:02

Ever since Laphroaig struck up a friendship with Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe, the rumor mill has been churning about a special Dafoe whisky. Now it looks like things are finally moving, as a label has surfaced for a Laphroaig 14 Year Old Dafoe Limited Edition whisky.

New whisky labels are regularly filed in the online TTB database. Distilleries and whisky makers do this in preparation for potential future releases. While many of these spirits do eventually hit the shelves, sometimes a label is all that ever appears.

FAQ

Who is Willem Dafoe?
A Hollywood actor known for films such as Spider-Man, Platoon, The Lighthouse, and more.
Where is Laphroaig distillery located?
On Islay, in Scotland.
What kind of whisky does Laphroaig make?
A distinctive peated whisky, often with medicinal notes.

A friendship that leads to a whisky of its own

It’s long been known that Dafoe has been a Laphroaig fan for decades. More recently, he teamed up with the Islay distillery for the Unphorgettable campaign. As part of that collaboration, he worked with blender Sarah Dowling to develop a whisky of his own.

With the label now filed, we finally get a glimpse of what might be coming. The label for Laphroaig’s possible next release dovetails perfectly with the distillery’s campaign. The front of the bottle is set to feature a white label with Willem Dafoe’s name rendered in bold brushstrokes, along with Dafoe’s signature on the bottle.

What will the special Laphroaig 14 Year Old Dafoe Edition be?

The details that surfaced in the TTB filings fire the imagination. At the very least, it will be a fourteen-year-old Islay single malt whisky.

The label notes that Dafoe personally selected the cask and decided on an Oloroso sherry cask finish. The whisky is bottled at 53.7% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Much remains unknown about the Laphroaig Dafoe edition

While the label reveals a lot, plenty remains unclear. The black-and-white label says nothing about the whisky’s initial maturation, which is likely ex-bourbon.

The single malt’s flavor profile hasn’t been disclosed, and the same goes for the release date, the price, and the size of the limited edition.