I was stuck outside while working last night as the remnants of hurricane Matthew dumped the last of its rains here in central Virginia. The weather really set the mood for an Islay distilled scotch: dreary, salt-tinged rain and howling winds (while working nights did its usual thing of testing my overall mood). Perfect time for a new Laphroaig. I may as well open this year's Friends of Laphroaig Cairdeas release. This one was finished in Spanish Madeira wine casks and comes in at a healthy 103.2 proof. I paid $75 here in VA. First of all, I was surprised that upon pulling the cork the living room wasn't filled with that beautiful, signature Laphroaig smoke. Pouring myself a dram I also noticed what appears to be a slight rose color tainting the normal golden hues. At first I thought it was the color from the bottle's label reflecting through, but upon closer examination it isn't. There's a slight, pinkish hue to my Laphroaig. After 15 minutes of sitting and swirling I still don't get much smoke on the nose. Eerily, it's very reminiscent of the 15 year old Laphroaig- and not in a good way. I don't get anything replacing the usual smoke either. Uh oh. The first sip reveals the Laphroaig smoke I know and love along with a nice hit from the oak barrels. I'm detecting young whiskey here. As far as the wine cask finish- all I get are some subtle sweet fruits like strawberries and maybe cherries. Whatever time it spent in these wine casks it wasn't really long enough to add much towards making it a more complex scotch. It stripped away the normal oily and rich finish and replaced it with a weaker, dry one. I really loved the 2013 port wood Cairdeas- it made a wonderfully complex Lahproaig. This version unfortunately did not. The finish is pretty dry and very short. Even the burn from the high proof is absent, which some folks may love, I don't. It seems very un-Laphroaig to me. So, my initial impression is very similar to the 200th anniversary 15 year old. It seems like a light Laphroaig. That's not what I want from these guys. Before I get blasted, I realize it's hard to make an annual Cairdeas release and expect extreme depth, but they've done it before so that's not really true. This is a different take on the norm, but I can't help but feel but a bit let down. I still love Laphroaig, but I gotta chalk this one up as a disappointment. I still have the full bottle so maybe it will change my mind as I drink through it. I hope that happens. Maybe I'm brooding after a horrible night at work, my palate may be off, Donald Trump is a jerk, Hillary Clinton should be in prison, etc. I'm looking for anyone or anything to blame at this point. I guess I'll just give this one some time and hope it was just an off night for me. Cheers.