Laphroaig Càirdeas 2018 Fino Cask Finish

Bottle pour in to Glencairn at home, courtesy of Breezy. Nose has bacon, brine, figs, rotted mango. Strong. Taste is quite salty, with moderate campfire, tobacco, dried kumquat, pencil shavings, star anise. Very complex and very good. 9/16/19

Was pretty hot neat so I tried a dram over a cube of ice and it is perfect. Amazing sherry warmth and depth. Smoky and complex. Hints of umami and candied pears.

A lot of brine on the nose. Up front, that familiar Laphroaig smoke, but slightly muted and spread across the palate with hints of star fruit and bitter pear. Warm and just barely sweet on the finish.

The nose on it is fantastic: barnyard funk, oysters, white grapes, and band-aids, giving way to a palate of one of the most brine-laden Laphroaigs ever released with rich notes of fish oil, white pepper, and cream. Peat smoke and greasy peanuts on the finish, with a lingering vegetable flavor I can't quite place...except it reminds me of the smell of a Chia pet, and all throughout the dram is fruity and RANK. It's like my beloved funky Belgian gueuzes found a way to rub off on my Laphroaigs. This surpassed the 2013 Laphroaig Cairdeas Portwood Edition as my favorite Laphroaig Cairdeas ever.