Laphroaig Càirdeas 2022 Warehouse 1

Received a sample of this dram at the friendship cairn at Laphroaig and then I had a second driver’s dram while sitting on the beach at Port Ellen. Tough to keep the experience from not automatically making this whisky a favourite for me but this one was my top pick on a day that I had three samples straight from the cask in Warehouse 1, Lore, the newest travel exclusive and this one. I have never had a chance to buy this one but I would highly recommend it. All of the best parts of the 10 amped up to another level.

I figured a pour from a 7-month open, half-full bottle would be ready to go. I was wrong. At first blush the nose is salt spray, muted peat and rubber. Palate was hot, salty, a little smoky and overwhelmingly bitter. After 20 minutes of me forgetting about it I realized it was still on the table and gave it another sip with far different results. Nose is still much the same, but now there’s a bit of crab apple to sweeten the aroma and it’s more obviously Laphroaig but still also very Ardbegian. Palate is still spicy but no longer hot, with lighter than expected peat smoke, dry hay, burnt apple turnovers, and a faint thread of honey closing with a pleasant tingle on the lips and gums. Lacks the heft and richness of the 10 year, or those wonderful smoked meats of the 10yr CS.

I’ve been a Cairdeas fanatic for years now. My love for this line dates back to the 2016 release. In all that time, this one certainly has the least sexy name of the bunch. I’m guessing this is a product of their “best” warehouse? It has to be something like that to warrant a release. I’ll judge the whisky on what’s in the bottle. Nose: Sea spray, brine, sea salt, and seaweed. Peat, campfire smoke, and tennis ball. Ballpark pretzel. Floral notes. Irish baking soda. Apple, pear, apricot, and raisin. Hazelnut, salted caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Peanut butter. Heavy lemon citrus. Mint. Black bean red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black/white pepper, and oak. Palate: Heavy salted caramel and saltwater taffy. Sea salt, seaweed, brine. Campfire smoke, rubber, tennis ball. Hazelnut. Vanilla, butterscotch, and toffee. Irish baking soda. Plum, dried apricot, and raisin. Cola. Fig and date. Mint. Grapefruit and lemon citrus. Finish: Ash, campfire smoke, rubber, menthol, and iodine. Campfire smoke. Cola and raisin. Fig and date. Black bean, red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Long finish. Very, very good whisky. Laphroaig always does such a great job with these releases. I think the profile seems most similar to the 16 year. It’s more confectionery sweet than fruity—considering a lot of these Cairdeas releases are wine cask-aged, that’s actually a departure from the norm. It’s also more refined and features less gritty peat, another characteristic of the 16. Now, how does this stack up to the other Cairdeas releases? Most of those were mind-blowing, 5-star whiskies. And this one is only worthy of being called superb. At $90, this is exact same price I’ve paid for Cairdeas releases since the beginning, and you had better believe I’m factoring that into my score. 4.5/5.

Lichen and ocean fog