Laphroaig Càirdeas 2013 Port Wood Edition

Ah, where do I begin with this white whale of a whisky? I’ve been a fan of Laphroaig for about 3 years now (I’ve only been regularly drinking scotch for about 3.5 years). I had to force myself to drink through my first bottle of Laphroaig (Triple Wood, btw), but since then I have been a huge fan of smoky, peaty whisky. I stumbled across this Cairdeas Port Wood at my local, high end whisky bar 2.5 years ago and the owner/bartender offered me a pour. All I could say afterwards was WOW, HOW DO I GET MY HANDS ON MORE OF THIS? Flash forward 2 years and I’ve finally landed 4 bottles through friends and European auctions- not to mention spent over $1000 to acquire those 4 bottles. When I see something I want.... This Cairdeas is from the 2013 Feis Isle festival. It was finished for an undisclosed amount of time in Portuguese wine casks and offered to attending guests. This particular batch is ruby red and makes lots of tiny, oily legs in the Glencairn. After a spin tiny water droplets form and quickly run down the oily sides. It’s bottled at a robust 51.3% ABV and is NCF’d with no added color. The nose is Laphroaig smoke with a side of salty, young spirit that releases a rich, grape sweetness that’s riddled with orange peel and almost no barrel influence. The palate is initially heavy on the smoke and campfire, slightly harsh but still surprisingly oily. The sweetness hangs back as though it’s waiting to be announced before entering the room, but when it does, boy does it come on strong. It’s thick and surprisingly delicate as it forces the astringency off the side of the stage and just settles in and puts on a good show. Excellent port notes dance around on the tongue beginning at mid sip and continue until you wash them away. The finish is medium length and (thankfully) smooth. More dark berries hang around leaving you feeling all warm and cozy. If there’s more in the Glencairn it’ll coerce you into going in for more. I had this ranked at Number 1 on my favorite whisky list for months and months. Sadly, I don’t think I can keep it there because I’ve so many great whiskies at this point, but I refuse to let it slip out of my Top 5. It’s still so damn good. 4.5 stars, maybe 4.75 when I’m feeling nostalgic about trying this back in 2016. I highly recommend trying to find a pour or a bottle. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers and thanks for reading this all the way through.

That 97 on Distiller was enough for me to spend some effort hunting out a sample of this elixir. I finally got my hands on some and tried it side by side with a sample of 2014’s Cairdeas Amontillado. The 2013 Port Wood expression is noticeably darker in the glass, with a honey-like, rich, golden tone — no surprise given it was finished in port pipes. This dram leads the way with signature Laphroaig leather, which is a blend of smoke and rich, musty oil. This nose is one of the more complex I've encountered for a scotch, and features an eager blast of scents that tends to suggest this is a young scotch, perhaps 8 to 10 years old. On the sweet side, I notice some tangerine and maple syrup from the port; on the savory side, smoke, iodine, brine, and a unified impression that I can best describe as "barbecue grill." This scotch barrels ahead on the palate with its power-running style. It immediately opens with a wallop of dense, cigar smoke, and more hints of the presence of young Laphroaig, including some raw wood and bittersweet sap. Thankfully, the complexity of the other flavors carries the palate past any minor hints of youthful indiscretion, and there's also a great balance created by the dram's sweeter hints of grape jam. Again, the interplay of the smoke and some sweeter flavors recalls a nice honey-marinated barbecue. There is also something herbal on some sips, but I can't quite put my finger on it. The texture is lovely, like liquid velvet. At first sip, this a dream peaty finish for the Port Wood: smoke, sweet ham, applewood-smoked bacon, and maple syrup or molasses. It's like a southern-style breakfast in a glass. Subsequent sips build up in pepperiness and wood spices. The youth reveals itself a bit too much over time, as the lingering notes are a little too bitter. This scotch highlights the value of special or limited editions in a distillery's portfolio, as it shows off a different side of Laphroaig. Not quite a 97 in my book, more in that 92-95 range. Nonetheless, Bravo!

Another bonus sample from the SDT (only 3 to go), and another Laphroaig Cairdeas from @LeeEvolved. This time we have the 2013 version that was finished in port pipes. Bottled at 51.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a ruby copper. This one has been built up by Lee as the be all end all Laphroaig. Let’s see how his enthusiasm holds up. The nose is juicy and fruity port notes that lead into earthy peat, but a restrained smoke. A menthol-like cooling sensation. Red plums, red grapes and blackberries. Definite notes of caramel apples, toffee and hazelnut. Cold ashes, creosote and a little of the medicinal/bandaid notes that Laphroaig is known for. As far as deeper complexity is concerned, it’s just not there. A little water allows for a bit more sweetness and fruitiness but also brings out a mineral note. The palate has much more smoke than on the nose. Sweet with a little spice as well. The port notes are not as strong here as I would have expected. Some smoky red fruits, but nothing too discernible. Pepper, oak, barrel char, sooty and salty/briny. Water just seems to tone everything down a bit without adding anything else. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is oily, mouth coating and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long, smoky, medicinal, semisweet and mouthwatering throughout. Sorry Lee, but this was not the king of the proverbial Laphroaig hill. I personally think the Brodir was the better of the port finishes. Good quality here and full of flavor, but not worth the secondary market price of $230. 4.25. I’ve now had the 2013-2018 Cairdeas and though I’ve yet to properly review the 2014, I would rate them in this order: 1) 2014, 2) 2018, 3) a tie between the 2013 & 2016, 5) 2017. Cheers

I remember when I was a child and I heard about the make a wish foundation. I thought that's awesome that people would do that for a sick kid. Well add 30 years or so and less any serious health conditions this grown man also had wishes. One was to try the fabled Cairdeas...any of them but particularly a good one. It wasn't the make a wish foundation which came to the party though it was Santa aka @PBMichiganWolverine. Hoho he said I'll not only grant your wish I'll double it...TWO Cairdeas's AND I'll make the sample double size cos hey I'm American and everything is bigger here...and to make my reindeers journey worth it I'll throw in a load more awesome stuff. The man was very excited as he really hadn't been good enough to deserve anything this year according to his wife but then again he never got anything when he was. Also he didn't even believe in Santa but hey this man was DESPERATE..he'd believe in Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny if one of them promised him a Cairdeas sample. Now the man always made his kids wait until xmas until they could open their presents but hey he wore the pants round here...when his wife let him... so if he didn't want to wait he wouldn't. So begins the 12 drams to xmas aka the Santa chronicles. This dram is fantastic. Way better than the Brodir or whatever that pale imitation was... the man dreamed of a world that was pure, just and when Laphroaig would once again produce great stuff but hey as we all know boys and girls once the marketing dept gets in charge all the presents get watered down. A great dram which makes the top 10 for 2019 easy!

Whisky Friday....get to finally have my end of week Dram!!! So this evening is a sample generously provided by Modern Drinking---thank you!! I think I've found the perfect combo in whisky. It's peat and port. Goes together like peanut butter and jelly. This is hands down the best Cairdeas I've had...all are really good, but I think this one is a step ahead of the rest. The nose greets you with plums and cigar smoke. I can smell this all day. Taste is a smooth fruit forward with a healthy backbone of smoke and ash. The smoke really plays well with the port finish. One doesn't outshine the other, but together they're just perfect. I think these aren't available anymore, so I'm that much more thankful to sample it. Thanks again to Modern Drinking for the chance.

Was able to try this “unicorn” at Delilah’s bar at Chicago a month ago. I can testify that this one lives to the hype! It is just FREAKING AWESOME! I gave Laphroaig Brodir 5 stars, so to make this one justice I should be able to give it at least 6 stars! Like Brodir, peat and red fruits play the main role here, but as long as they were kind of melted together in Brodir, in this one each note can be picked individually very clearly, really sharp. It seems almost like magic! For me the best of the night, no doubt, closely followed by the Kilchoman Delilah’s /Jack Rose finished in Sauternes that is not listed in the app, also a 5 stars.