Laphroaig Càirdeas 2023 White Port & Madeira Casks

I've bought this every year for the past three years since my whisky budget increased. That means, I have Warehouse 1, PX Cask, and this the White Port & Madeira Casks. I haven't looked at my past scores when writing this, so I don't know what rating I gave, but the PX Cask was fantastic, the Warehouse 1 was very good, and the White Port lands in the middle of those. This is where numeric scores maybe don't reflect reality and is why I'm not looking. What did I give the PX? Did I rate the Warehouse 1 accordingly? Is this score between them? Was the PX 4.75 and the Warehouse 1 4.25 and now this is 4.5? I'm not sure that it matters. The other two I opened in the year they came out. This one, I opened last week, 2024. A few months late, and without friends around me. Which feels wrong. My understanding is Cairdeas means friendship? Well, whatever. I'll share it soon enough. As soon as a whisky drinking friend visits. But now on my own, I'll type this up. Some initial thoughts. I wish I could have this blinded against something similar just to be sure that it's clearly a Laphroaig nose. It's saline and iodine, fresh sea salt like you've taken a cup of water out of the ocean and let it evaporate leaving behind only the silt. The White Port/Madeira imparts a sweet edge however, almost like a very fine, very high quality dry vermouth has given the Laphroaig in the glass it's blessing, like a fine mist of that vermouth is contained therein, as though a 1920s alcoholic whose had 5 martinis has has merely whispered the dry vermouth into the glass. There's almost the sense of gin finished in Islay barrels to the nose. Could just be me. Oh right, before I forget to mention it, there's a vein of peat smoke running throughout. Funny you forget the obvious, but this is a Laphroaig. On the tongue, it's sweet up front, vanilla with peaches and cream. The peat is still ever present along with that, and if you're not acclimated to that, it's likely all you're going to notice (I gave my wife a sniff and she said, it smells like all the other peated scotches you've served me, so it could be overwhelming here to the unconverted...plus it's 102 proof or thereabouts so it's strong). There's smoething grassy and sweet on the mid-palate like roasted asparagus with a tang of a sweeter vinaigrette, not balsamic, but something along those lines, it's escaping me. I'm enjoying thoroughly the mix of sweet and salty that's not a sherry sweetness but something else altogether, more of a dry sweetness that I'm assuming is the influence of the white port though I've never had white port. The finish is all smoke and pepper here though, with very little of the sweetness showing through and something salty lingering that's almost umami in character. I may be way off here, but it's a delectable dram, and I only wish I were sharing it with fellow Islay lovers because I know it would elicit a decent discussion. Yes, this is very good, very good. I think I may have only preferred the PX Cairdeas in 2021 because it met expectations a little more whereas this one is a horse of a different color and a little outside my experience not having the touch points with either white port or madeira to understand how those barrels may have influence the Laphroaig. All in all, it's one that fans of Laphroaig will want to try and those who dislike Islay should steer clear of. I would assume that goes without saying given the price, but with the number of people who give reviews like, "Yuck, peat!" I wouldn't put it past someone to drag the score down because they feel the need to weigh in when their opinion is unnecessary. Then again, in this age of social media, no one actually believes their opinion is unnecessary anymore. Have at it.

Review #093 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 52.3% Comments: NAS, finished in 1st-fill white port and 2nd-fill Madeira casks Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Chestnut color. Swirling reveals a thin line of beads sticking to the side of the glass which slowly congeal into a thick line, legs are slow to form. Nose: 18/20 Barbecue smoke blends with a fruit basket of other sweet aromas, such as kiwi, red apple, peaches, and banana. There’s also some vanilla, burnt croissants, adhesive bandages, and hints of asphalt and lemon zest. Palate: 33/40 Very sweet, with only the faintest hint of peat smoke. Honey and grapefruit stand out, accompanied by white grapes, lemon zest, a dash of black pepper, and a little salt brine. Finish: 34/40 Long finish. The classic Laphroaig profile reveals itself here, starting off with a large puff of peat smoke and sea salt. There’s a passing hint of adhesive bandages as the flavor becomes gradually saltier, then the addition of some lemon peel before eventually ending with black tea and ashes. With Water: A few drops of water introduces some iodine to the nose, mellows out the strong sweet flavors of the palate, and enhances the intensity of the peat smoke on the finish. Total: 85/100 Final thoughts: A very different Laphroaig than what I’m accustomed to, and think they did a nice job balancing out the finish with the original profile of the distillate. I was surprised how easily the fruit-forward component instilled by the finish was washed away with just a few drops of water, so would probably recommend drinking this without any dilution. I can still find a few of these near me with retail prices around $100, so I think it’s a great value buy I’ll be investing in. Thanks to my brother @Mark-Watson2 for the sample. Price: gifted sample Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

I’m writing this shortly after my review of the 2022 Warehouse 1 installment in the Cairdeas line. And while it was a solid whisky, it was without a doubt the biggest disappointment in the Cairdeas. That’s not saying a ton, because I’d but pretty much every other one since 2016 on my top shelf, but that one just didn’t compare. This line has provided me with some of the best wine cask-aged peated malts, so I’m happy to see them return with another one of the kind. Nose: Peat and campfire smoke. Brine, sea salt, seaweed, and iodine. Bandaid. Tennis ball. Ash. Smoked meat. Hookah smoke. Plum. Blackberry and black currant. Grilled pineapple. Red pepper. Sugar cookie. Palate: Saltwater taffy and ballpark pretzel. Sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Grapefruit. Mint chocolate and fudge. Peanut butter and hazelnut. Salted caramel. Black bean, red pepper chili. Vanilla. Grapefruit. Sugar cookie. Plum, orange, and tangerine. Finish: Toasted almond, macadamia, and hazelnut. Salted caramel, toffee, and milk chocolate. Pineapple and plum. Black bean, red pepper chili. Sea salt, seaweed, campfire smoke, iodine, ash. Bandaid. Red pepper and white pepper. Long finish. This is somewhat of a step up from the Warehouse 1. The wine cask breaks through the peat and gives the typical Laphroaig profile a somewhat tropical fruit feel. Some dark, plush fruit as well, but not nearly as much as I was expecting when I consider the other wine cask-aged Cairdeas releases and the cask selection used with this one. They never raise the price. $90 again, and $90 well spent. This earns marks for VFM. I don’t know if I’m just getting more picky through the years, but I’d have to drop this to second to last on my Cairdeas rankings, ahead of 2022 but below 2016-2021. I had all of the latter as top shelf whiskies, so no shame in this not quite living up to that mark. And this was closer to the rest of the pack than it was to the 2022–I don’t want to mischaracterize it. It may be the combination of casks used distracted from the establishment of a cogent mission. Just a tad unfocused. Still, very well done. Reminiscent of 2016 Madeira cask (no shock there,) which I do appreciate. 4.75/5.

I waited more than a year after release of the 2022 to pick it up, but I bought this one the first day it showed up in stores locally. Don't know anything about white port, but I tend to enjoy madeira finished whiskies, so I was looking forward to this one. The nose shows a little more fruit than typical Laphroaig, but it's not leaping out. A little citrus, a little green apple. As it opens a bit of berry and cream. Some of the usual suspects show up like brine, slight medicinal iodine. The sour apple and citrus fruit seem to stand out most to me. The palate sees much of the same as the nose, but the peat shows up in a much bigger way. The brine and iodine lead the way, along with ashy smoke. The sweet vanilla that shows up in the 2022 Warehouse 1 is dialed back quite a bit, but it's in there too. There's a little meatiness, like smoked ham, which I usually associate more with Ardbeg than Laphroaig. The finish turns a little tannic before the smoke rides out on a medium to long finish. Seems to me that the finishing on this one is more understated, particularly compared to the 2021 with the heavy PX influence. I think fans of the general Laphroaig profile will find a lot to like here, but those looking for a heavy finish may be somewhat disappointed. I've kind of become a Laphroaig fanboy, so I enjoy it, but I think I actually prefer the 2022, which I almost didn't even buy.

Final dram of 2025! If you're reading this, Slàinte Mhath! I hope and pray 2026 brings you more peace, stability, and love than this rough year gave us all! Nose: buttery/salty soft pretzel, active peat fire off in the distance, coastal drizzle, earthy coastal forest floor, honeyed and dried apricot, sweet white wine, Palate: after an evening of very little to no peat, I'm getting a robust, punchy, and immediately noticeable phenolic peat here, which I've been longing for. Maybe need to take some more breaks from Islay (God forbid!) down the road. Sweet-ish, with golden syrup, dried stonefruit. A nice maritime salinity as it transitions to the finish. Has nice malty/bready characteristics. Finish: lingering, long, slightly ashy, smouldering peat, with a nice added dried stonefruit dynamic. Good robust drying oak.

Nose: definitely getting the bready/yeasty soft pretzel note. Getting hints of cinnamon and ginger. Caramelized sugar comes through, as well as hints of the charred orange peel that Laphroaig suggests in their notes. The green apple note they suggest is subtle but comes out more as it opens up. Vanilla creme brulee. Caramelized peaches come out more as it opens as well. Palate: honey, citrus (orange and lemon, getting both peel and fruit), a surprisingly robust oakiness. Slight peach. Substantial sea spray/salinity. Classic Laphroaig peat weaves throughout. Iodine smoke, dark chocolate and hints of caramel as it transitions to the finish. As i sit with it more, I get that note of hazelnut, very unique and nice. Finish: smoky/hazy wet peat fire, creosote. Hints of sea salted caramel. Expected oaky tannins