Laphroaig Càirdeas 2018 Fino Cask Finish

Supposedly around 8 years old

a bit of peat. Smokey and smooth

Tasting 3 “water to whisky” tour, drank at peat field, enjoyed it.

Ah yes, the annual gift that is Cairdeas. I am simply loving this year’s expression from Laphroaig. That signature peat smoke grabs your nose as expected, but it’s the finish where this one really shines. The mouth feel reminds me of the last few Cairdeas releases: thick, velvety, oaky yet very well balanced. finish is what separates this year’s release from the previous wine-matured Cairdeas, the 2016 Madeira cask. Where the finish on the ‘16 I felt turned too dry and almost chalky, the fino maturation of this year’s release provides a sweet tanginess: think a fusion of white grapes, caramelized sugar, vanilla bean and fresh pears. A true delight. Still lots to uncover in this bottle, but I can confidently say Laphroaig did a fantastic job here. I can’t wait for it to be more readily available in the U.S. market so I can grab up a few more bottles. 4.5/5

@Richard-ModernDrinking beat me to the first review of this one! We bought a bottle at Feis Ile 2018, which we then mostly finished on the rest of our road trip around the Highlands, including a particularly memorable experience enjoying a dram of it on a cruise of Loch Ness. My wife loved this one and described it as the best Laphroaig she's ever had. This one is an interesting, unique take on Laphroaig, and maybe the sweetest one I've encountered. I get oatmeal cookies on the nose, and my wife agreed with that but also noted that after a few minutes there is a strong and noticeable scent reminiscent of the barley we sampled on our tour of the distillery. The palate has some of that sweetness, more in honey realm at times, but subsequent sips get drier and smokier, with some lemongrass and cumin. The finish is black Chinese tea and spicy smoke. I agree with @Richard-ModernDrinking that this one bears more than a passing resemblance to 2014's Amontillado.