Laphroaig Càirdeas 2020 Port & Wine Casks

Hands down my favourite Laphroaig ever (annoyingly, I think the most I’ve spent on a Lap bottle). The most enticing pink blush hue to the dram, it’s probably E150, but it looks great. On the nose is pure fruit, marzipan and just a hint of peat to remind you this is secretly an Islay beauty. All those sweet notes hit you for a fraction of a second, before the delightful Lap smoky character you expect errupts and takes over before it melds to leave you with the most amazing combination if smoke, peat, Christmas pudding sweetness, jam and questing if you’ll ever discover a whisky that ticks this many boxes on the flavour profile.

Laphroaig Cairdeas needs no introduction at this point. This is my fifth year of Cairdeas, 2016-2020, and I’ve loved all of them before this. I expect nothing less of the Port & Wine Cask release. Nose: Classic Laphroaig. Brine, seaweed, sea salt, idodine, tennis ball, campfire smoke, and peat. Bandaid. Dark chocolate. Ballpark pretzel. Hazelnut. Lemon and a huge grapefruit citrus note. A salsa note. Blackberry and raspberry. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Palate: Brine, seaweed, sea salt, campfire smoke, and iodine. Bandaid and tennis ball. Salted caramel and dark chocolate. Some mint chocolate as well. Juicy plum. Lemon and grapefruit. Some candy: black licorice and Twizzler. Toasted marshmallow, vanilla, and graham cracker. Add the chocolate from before and you’ve got s’mores. Tobacco smoke and ash. Black bean, red pepper chili. Smoked brisket and other meats. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Finish: Long. Dark chocolate. Sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Campfire smoke, tire rubber, tobacco smoke, bandaid. More smoked meat. Black bean, red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Amazing. Easily one of the best Cairdeas releases—maybe the best. I’ll have to sit with this one a while longer to make that sort of statement. Either way, this is fantastic. The port definitely makes itself known despite the massive power of the Laphroaig peat. I’m not sure what the other wine casks are, but the combination of sweet and peat is impeccable. This one makes the 5-star club. An absolute gem. It’s a beast of a whisky at 52%, yet boasts a great deal of nuance and complexity. Every element that makes this whisky what it is elevates it—the casks and the peat make for an incredibly synergistic combination. It’s impressive and powerful. My only complaint is that this is a one-off. Well done, Laphroaig.

Next up in my Laphroaig series, is a sample of the 2020 Caidreas Port and Wine that was generously provided by @ctbeck11 The nose starts with a mix of strawberry jam on toasted sourdough, tangy barbecue sauce on smoked short ribs and light diesel fumes then light florals, dark chocolate mocha and toasted almonds followed by black cherries, raspberry sorbet and tangerine orange that transitions to light ginger and freshly opened can of tennis balls with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy and slightly tart red berries before a moderate bitter spice that quickly fades to a mix of toasted sourdough, tangy barbecue sauce smoked brisket, light ocean brine and light diesel fumes then light florals, dark chocolate covered bacon and almond croissant followed by cherries jubilee, dehydrated raspberries and tangerine orange that transitions to light ginger, asphalt and freshly opened can of tennis balls with high ethanol burn. The finish is long, starting with a mix creamy sweet red berries and orchard fruits that fade to the background of smoky barbecued meats, light ocean brine, asphalt and mildly bitter black tea. A really delicious and bold dram that the wine and port casks have imparted these slightly tart and sweet red berry flavors along with smoky meats, mild ocean brine and light spices. This suffers from some slight sour notes and the palate leans heavier on the spices than I’d prefer, but overall, it’s a hell of a dram that I think any fan of peated whiskies would thoroughly enjoy. At a price of around $90 when these were released, this was another well-priced offering that provides a unique variation to the typical Laphroaig profile that I’d happily buy a bottle today if I happen to stumble on one on the shelves for the original retail price. Ratings for the series so far: 10-year cask strength batch 11- 3.75 10-year sherry oak finish- 4.0 Lore- 4.0 2019 Caidreas Triple Wood- 3.75 2020 Caidreas Port and Wine - 3.75

Very smoky and peaty as Laphroaig is, but not harsh like the standard 10 year is for me. Burnt popcorn is what this tastes like with some smoke thrown in. You get a bit of the port and wine towards the middle but it’s a very subtle addition for me. It’s a stand out dram if you want that “in your face” smoke but in a balanced and tasty way.

Honestly the best scotch I've ever had

Outstanding.