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.

Kilchoman USA Small Batch Release No. 2 (NAS)

 I'm a long-time fan of Kilchoman, the small, family-run distillery on Islay, but I have to admit that their price point (everything hovers around or above the $100 mark) tends to dissuade me from buying too many bottles. However, I saw this dusty bottle on a back shelf at Batch 13 liquors on 14th St NW here in Washington DC, and couldn't resist. 

Inchmurrin 13 Year (SMWS 112.73 "Sweet and Savory Excitement")

 

Another lottery bottle (for Burns Night 2021) from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this one is from the Inchmurrin imprint of Loch Lomond distillery (as near as I can tell). I know nothing about Loch Lomond or any of its imprints, but I learned when researching this review that they are the only distillery that makes both single malt and grain whisky at the same facility. Inchmurrin-branded bottles seem to review better than the core Loch Lomond bottles.