Laphroaig Càirdeas 2014 Amontillado Cask Edition

I wish I could give 6 stars. Seriously delicious and makes you salivate for more. Absolutely amazing. Not much left so if you want to try it get there before it’s all gone!

Wow that was good. Building a wall? 11/10/16.

Tasted at Delilah’s whisky bar a month ago. It was my girlfriend’s favourite of the night! It was so insanely peaty that it took me by surprise! Expected more influence from the amontillado Sherry cask, but it is quite delicious nonetheless. Did not take any notes so can’t be more precise on my description, sorry... :-(

Continuing on with the Cairdeas reviews, here we have the 2014 version that was finished in Amontillado sherry casks. This was actually part of our hotel room tasting session in DC for Whiskyfest back in April, sample provided by @Telex. Bottled at 51.4% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of orange amber. John Campbell walked with the whisky rep from Persia, listening intently as he rambled on about superior malting processes, the purest water in the land and golden barley the color of the sun at noon. He walked with him as the Persian made claims of international awards and accolades spanning from San Francisco to Bangalore. But when they made their way to the pit of death and the feeble man from the foreign distillery claimed they were the richest, peatiest whisky in the world, John Campbell smirked, looked around at his workers and yelled defiantly in his thick Islay accent...”THIS IS LAPHROAIG!!”, before kicking the man and his weakly flavored whisky to their doom. Yes this is a fantastic Laphroaig. The nose is brand new shoes that stepped into a bowl of orange sherbet liqueur and then set ablaze by the flaming arrow of Antonio Rebollo after he loosed it from his bow to light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Strong rubber and bandaid notes. Dark, rich and sweet sherry, but different than other sherried whiskies out there. Honeyed dates, figs and tennis balls. Varnish soaked oak and iodine. Raspberry chocolate, salted caramels, vanilla, toffee. Very earthy peat with a touch of mint. Fruity Pebbles cereal and Juicy Fruit gum. The palate is big billowing smoke with sweet BBQ meats, grilled plums and nectarines. Vanilla, brown sugar and burnt oranges. Burnt oak, ashes and soot. Bandaids, iodine and rubber. Some peppery spice, a little anise and some tannins. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long to long, fruity, smoky, rubbery with a trace of mint riding into the distance on a horse made of peat. Very much the best of the last 5 years of the Cairdeas releases. And probably my second favorite Laphroaig behind Lore. Such strong flavors and the sherry worked as a supporting orchestra behind the soloist that is the Laphroaig distillery profile, rather than taking it upon itself to shred a 5 minute guitar solo. I didn’t think this highly of this dram while in DC, but sitting at home and being able to try it in a controlled environment I can now see how well it shines. Glad I bought a bottle before they disappeared. 4.5-4.75 Cheers