Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023 (White Port, Maidera)

 

It's been a light, slow July in terms of reviews over here - I have run out of room to store bottles, so I'm very slowly making my way through what I already have. 

One of the few exceptions is this year's Cairdeas ("Car chase" or "Car chess" or "Gorgeous" are the closest pronunciation guides I've heard) from Laphroaig, one of the big Islay distillers. Released yearly as a treat for the Friends of Laphroaig (the hardcore fan club), it always has interesting casking and a high ABV.

One of my favorite peated scotches of all time was the 2018 Cairdeas, which was Fino Sherry matured and just wonderful from nose to belly. This year, 2023, has Laphroaig presenting the following maturation:

Our Càirdeas expression for 2023 brings together the best of much loved Càirdeas releases over recent years. The limited-edition single malt is a combination of Madeira and White Port casks. Three quarters of the whisky is matured in second-fill Madeira casks, releasing smoky, spicy, and sweet fruit flavours. The final quarter has been finished in first-fill Port casks; the majority of these are white port, adding a hint of crisp fruit and deep woodiness to the flavour.

I love Madeira, and I love Port wine, so this makes me very eager and curious! 

Bottled at a static 52.3% ABV (thank you, Laphroaig!), no age statement. Let's dig in: 

Nose: Initially the nose is very astringent, even dry: bitter herbs, loads of smoke, peat, iodine, gauze, and salty burnt bacon. But with time in the glass, it really fattens and sweetens nicely: apricot, peach, brown sugar, maple syrup, ginger, and green melon (honeydew). 

Mouthfeel: Very thick, as is typical for Laphroaig. Viscous. 

Palate: Mirrors the nose: heavily smoked stone fruit (peach, apricot), maple bacon, iodine, rock salt, pepper and wild bitter herbs, salted honeydew melon, all very very rich and with some real veins of sweetness running through the typically rubbery/medicinal Laphroaig profile. 

Finish: Long, long, longgggggg: smoke, pepper, herbs, dried apricots (like you find in trail mix), and a fat brown sugar/chocolate note that outlasted all the others. Really nice. 

Verdict: Just wonderful. My favorite non-single-cask Laphroaig... well, maybe this is tied with the 2018 Cairdeas (the Fino Sherry edition). It's complex, a perfect knife's-edge balance between smoky/medicinal/savory and sweet/fruity, and is so rewarding glass after glass. A real win for the Friends of Laphroaig.