Review #247: Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood Cask Strength 2019

Islay - NAS - NCF - e150 - $80 at Binny's - 59.5 %

Laphroaig is a southern Islay distillery that is none for its bold medicinal peat and its love of e150.  In full disclosure, I am a big fan of Laphroaig.  One of my big complaints about Laphroaig is that they very rarely make an expression that is better than Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength, so why spend more money? The Cairdeas line has had some notable exceptions.  This particular one is a cask strength version of their core NAS line, Triple Wood.  Their cask strength version of Quarter cask, in my opinion, was gross.  To me it tasted like they wanted to cut costs and go really young.  As the QC is 8 years old + 8 months in a QC, it doesn't have much age to shave off.  I am hoping form better from this release. As a personal note, I would prefer that Frog stuck with wine finishes as opposed to cask strengths of their core line up.  

Here' is frogs blurb about the Cairdeas.  

This malt goes through a triple maturation, first matured in ex-bourbon barrels, then in quarter casks and finally in European oak casks which previously held oloroso sherry. It is then barrier filtered and bottled at cask strength.  So cask strength and not chill-filtered.  

Color - Russet - an even deeper e150 glow than usual

Nose - Bandaids and sticky toffee on the first pass.  Apricots, apples, Sprite, caramel, smoked oysters, geraniums, fresh tobacco, lapsang 

Palate - Caramel and toffee, tea leaves, a nuttiness i can't place, apricots, aunt jumima, creamy sweetness, cigar boxes

Finish - Medium -  Caramel, bonfires, diesel, spiced tart apples - drying - a rich sweet and peat finish

Overall - 8 - The nose starts out lovely, fruity, floral and peaty.  The peat is much less prominent than a standard cask strength Laphroaig.  The whole dram is sweeter than the standard frog release.  It is much chewier as well with a great mouth feel.  I am sure that this will stick to my palate for a while.  The finish is much more toned down on peat than a standard Laphroaig.  Comparing this to my notes on the Triple Wood, it is in line but very different.  This is much sweeter but the difference in the frog peat seems similar between the Triple Wood and the Cairdeas.  This is a little better than the standard 10 CS and worth a purchase for that added $15.  If you like Laphroaig and wish they had a little more subtle and sweeter release, this would be right up your alley.  

For the Cairdeas Power Rankings

Top Tier
* Portwood
* Floor Maltings

Excellent
* Amontillado
* Triple Wood
* Fino

Terrible
* Quarter Cask
* Madeira

I have done 22 Laphroaig reviews with an average rating of 7.16.

Past reviews are from my personal blog as it is easier for me to index

Laphroaig 18 (White Lable)

K&L Laphroaig 17

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018 Fino & Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength 10

Laphroaig PX 

Laphroaig 15

Laphroaig 10 CS, Batches 3, 7, 9

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2013-2016

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017 & Cadenshead 175th anniversary Laphroaig 19

 Laphroaig Battle Hill 10

Laphroaig 10 CS Batch 7

Laphroaig Triple Wood

Laphroaig 10 & Select

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

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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
5.5 I really enjoyed but it will never be priced at where I would buy a bottle

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 0.92

Skew 0.66

Kurtosis -0.16