Review #133 - 136: Laphroaig Cairdeas 2013 - 2016 Port Wood, Amontillado, Floor Maltings, Madeira
Today I am going to SbS Laphroaig Cairdeas 2013 - 2016.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2013 Port Wood
The 2013 Cairdeas was aged for 8 years and then finished for 14 months in Port casks. For many, this is considered the finest of the Cairdeas line.
Islay - 9 Years - NCF - NCA- Sample ($80 at the local) - 51.3%
Color - Orange Honey
Nose - Peat and berries - The peat is milder for a frog, iodine, honey, lemon - water kills the nose
Taste - Berry and wine tannin, smoke, vanilla, iodine - water brings out a little floral flavor
Finish - Medium Long - Bonfire smoke, orangish strawberry fruit, iodine and ash as it fades away. - water takes out the iodine but also reduces the fruit
Overall - 8 - The nose starts out great, the port comes through in a lovely berry and marries well with the peat. This is just delightful. The wine comes through as mildly sweet berry fruit and the peat just marries so well. It is amazing how lovely frog can be when it wants to. This would compete with any of the Longrow wine releases at $40 less MSRP. Though, I am not sure that is fair to say since it has been disco'd for five years now.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2014 Amontillado
Islay - 8 Years - NCF - NCA - Sample ($80 at the local) - 51.4%
Color - Amontillado Sherry
Nose - Really muted - Lemon tarts, iodine, salt, faint floral notes
Taste - Cigar ash with lemon, salinity and honey
Finish - Medium Short - Ash, salt, pepper and leather
Overall - 7 - There is an underlying salinity that rides thorughout this that I don't associate with Laphroaig. I am guessing that is the Amontillado. A few drops of water makes this one more approachable and easy drinking without really impacting the flavor. This one seem much less complex than the 2013 and much milder in flavor all around. It would still be worth picking up a bottle but I would probably add a couple drops of water and just enjoy this different and easy drinking Frog.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 Floor Malting
The majority of Laphroaig's maltings come from Port Ellen Maltings with only a small amount sourced from their own floor maltings. This bottling is all floor maltings and bottled for 12 years in ex-bourbon. This is a great posting that talks about floor maltings. I had the SCN Laphroaig 10 at a tasting and it was much more ashy than medicinal like the OB 10 when it came to the peat. Jewmalt from SCN said this is because their cask was all from the floor malting.
Islay - 12 Years - NCF - Not sure on color- Sample ($80 at the local) - 51.5%
Color - Yellow Gold
Nose - Ash, honey, vanilla, nuts, their is a hint of white fruit, green tomatoes - Water mutes the peat and makes it sweet.
Taste - Honey, smokey peat, nuts - also sweeter with water
Finish - Medium - Smoke clouds, white fruit, cane sugar
Overall - 8 - This is very nice and a lot more like the SCN and Battle Hill Laphroaig 10's that I have had. The peat is not at all medicinal, but more this neutral smoke cloud that just rolls across the palate in waves. For sure worth picking up a bottle and probably of much interest to people who love peat but just find Laphroaig too medicinal.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016 Madeira
I did try one of these as a blind sample, missed it was Laphroaig and had a hard time getting flavors past the peat smoke. I cannot find the aging information so I am guessing it was aged 7-9 years in ex bourbon and then 8 - 20 months in Madeira based on their previous releases.
I did try one of these as a blind sample, missed it was Laphroaig and had a hard time getting flavors past the peat smoke. I cannot find the aging information so I am guessing it was aged 7-9 years in ex bourbon and then 8 - 20 months in Madeira based on their previous releases.
Islay - NAS - NCF - Not sure on color- Sample ($80 at the local) - 51.6%
Color - Deep Copper - Not showing much wine finish
Nose - Nutty, diesel oil, TCP, green tomatoes, some raw apple - a bit astringent
Taste - White fruit, smoke, mineral spirits
Finish - - Smoke, hospitals, pears
Overall - 4.5 - I find this one a bit astringent throughout. It is not the medicinal Laphroaig peat that I know and love but some astringent cousin. I don't get any wine finish that shines through. To me, this is just a mess, there doesn't seem to be a vision, the peat is astringent and the wine doesn't make an appearance. I love Laphroaig but this is probably worse than Select, which is saying something.
Final Thoughts - I for the most part enjoyed the Cairdeas line. However, it does seem to have nose dived over the last 2 releases. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 all are great whiskies. It would be personal preference as to what you preferred. 2016 was too astrigent. In my 2017 review, the QC release was just overly young and rough. Hopefully Laphroaig bounces back with a solid 2018 release.
Final Thoughts - I for the most part enjoyed the Cairdeas line. However, it does seem to have nose dived over the last 2 releases. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 all are great whiskies. It would be personal preference as to what you preferred. 2016 was too astrigent. In my 2017 review, the QC release was just overly young and rough. Hopefully Laphroaig bounces back with a solid 2018 release.
Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.
10 Best in Show
9 Great Dram for Special Occasions
8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection
7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood
6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale
5 I would drink it happily if offered
4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks
3 Maybe some soda will make this potable
2 I'll Pass
1 Toilet cleaner
Inclusive Ratings
Overall 6.1
Standard Deviation 0.89
Skew 0.66
Kurtosis -0.16
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