Laphroaig Cairdeas Cask Favourites 10 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $110

- 104.8 Proof

- 10 Years

- Islay

Year after year Laphroaig releases what I would call (in my attempt to sound cooler than I am) absolute bangers as their annual Cairdeas releases.  These have been some of my favorite bottlings each year.  Of course, some have been better than others, but I have never been disappointed in a bottle, and, better yet, I've found all of them to be exceptional.

This particular bottling is no different.  Interestingly, this one uses "as inspiration" two previous releases, the 2019 Triple Wood and the 2021 PX Cask.  These were both great releases, so a release that's an ode to both of those seemed almost guaranteed to be good.  What caught me by surprise was just how good. As I've said, I've loved every Cairdeas release, but this one for me stood above the crowd.  I didn't just "love" this bottle, but I was "in love with" this bottle! Don't tell my wife.

There was a slight jamminess on the nose, with dark fruit notes of fig and cherry hitting right up front. But it wasn't over the top as you sometimes get. There was also a rich dark chocolate note, offering those deep cocoa notes, but without any sort of bitterness, at least not hitting on the nose. Of course, the peat hit as well, but it came across as a light barbecue note, thanks to those complementary fruit notes, along with a bit of char.

The palate was fruity and smokey, of course, but it was actually quite a bit brighter than the nose.  Right up front I got sweet notes of raspberry and currant, carrying forward that light jammy quality I got off the nose.  The bright raspberry was a very pleasant surprise, and that note seemed to stick around from the second it touches the tongue through the finish.

The rich dark chocolate came through, but again without any offensive bitterness.  In fact, the most bitterness came from the raspberry notes, a type of bitterness I don't find offensive at all. As I sipped some of those deeper, darker fruit notes came through, and fig seemed to the be the most pervasive flavor here.

And, while it seemed to take a second to come out from behind the curtain, that barbecue note was certainly prevalent throughout.  It was sweet and fruity and smokey with a lightly bitter char note, and it was absoutely delicious. In fact, I'd love to replicate this flavor in a barbecue sauce the next time I smoke ribs.  

Like I said, I think this is my favorite Cairdeas release yet. Of course, there may be a bit of recency bias here, but I loved and am in love with this whiskey.  Or at least I was until I killed it.

Grade: A+

Laphroaig Cairdeas White Port and Madeira Casks Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $100

- 104.6 Proof

- NAS

- Islay

Laphroaig's annual Cairdeas release has certainly become something I look forward to each year, and even more so when I find out the release is going to be some sort of wine finish. In the past I've found such releases to be absolutely phenomenal!  Yet, this one wasn't really on my radar.  In fact, the first I had seen it was when I was out of town checking out a random liquor store, and there it was on the shelf, making me wonder how I had missed information on this release.

While the bottle didn't come home with me on that trip, I was sure to secure a bottle soon thereafter, and I was fairly quick to open this one.  I kind of knew what I was going to get from the Madeira cask, but I really wasn't sure what to expect from the white port cask. I only assumed it would have a different profile from other peated port matured Scotches I've had in the past.

The nose was not as prominent with the wine notes as I had expected.  I've gotten so used to getting an aroma full of dark fruits and smoked meats from similar bottlings, but that was not to be found here. The peat was certainly present, but the wine influence was a bit light. There was perhaps a hint of raspberry, but otherwise, it was primarily notes of campfire and bready notes.

Luckily, the flavor brought more to the table than the nose did. There I got that great combination of sweet and peat that I love. The flavor came across as more of a raspberry jam note, along with a nice blackberry note. While sweet, it also had that bite of bitterness to it to keep it from being too sweet. It did not come across as a port or Madeira "bomb" by any stretch, but the influence, even if a bit more subtle, was delicious.

Of course I got a great smokey note, which at first was like the campfire note I was getting on the nose. But as I made my way through this bottle, it developed more of that smoked barbecue note that I love in a good wine-finished Islay Scotch. It was like a nice plate of sweet and savory barbecue ribs. 

But, there was another note that weirdly enough seemed to go right along with everything else -- pancakes.  I'm not sure if I've ever gotten pancakes as a tasting note, I'd have to check, but it was certainly there in this bottle, lurking in the background, and particularly noticeable on the finish.

While I wouldn't put this as my favorite Cairdeas release, it was, not surprisingly, still absolutely delicious. This was a bottle that went much faster than I intended, which is always a good measure.

Grade: B+

Laphroaig Cairdeas Port & Wine Casks Islay Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $100

- 104 Proof

- NAS

- Islay

I have absolutely grown to love sweet and peat. It started when my wife brought home a random bottle of Longrow Red almost five years ago. Since then I've not only grabbed every Longrow Red release, but I've also made it a point to try anything else I can get my hands on that has that combination of smoky peat and a wine barrel finish.

So, naturally, I find myself drinking Islay Scotches fairly regularly, and the Laphroaig Cairdeas releases certainly meet that criteria. This particular release was a blend of whisky matured in second fill Ruby Port barrels and ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished in red wine casks.  There was no question this would give me all that sweet and peat I was after.

Right away I got a ton of dark, jammy fruits on the nose. It was a rich and sweet combination of blackberry and fig. The peat was not anywhere near what I expected, and was only mildly present. That, however, allowed for soft notes of orange and vanilla to come through. The overall combination was incredibly mouth-watering.

As to the palate, right up front I got that nice hit of smoke, along with a black pepper spice on the tip of my tongue, followed immediately by that rich blackberry jam note. There was a little bit of fig and raisin as well, to add a bit of richness, but I also got something bright, like red raspberry, that was unexpected. 

There was a decent amount of brown sugar sweetness, perhaps at times leaning more towards a molasses note. It also had a bit of a pastry note, like puff pastry used for Danishes. 

The finish, though, was what made me fall in love with this whisky. It was on the finish that the smoky peat really kicked in. That peat note coupled beautifully with the rich, jammy blackberry and fig that also dominated, resulting in this smoky, sticky, fruity note that remined me a bit of a sweet barbecue sauce. Put this on some pork ribs and you might have something!

This is an incredible example of what I love in that sweet and peat combination. "Cairdeas" translates to friendship, and I think I've found a new friend here. This is going to be right there with the Longrow Red as a release I'm going to be picking up every time it comes out.

Grade: A