LeeEvolved
Laphroaig Càirdeas 2020 Port & Wine Casks
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
July 11, 2020 (edited January 25, 2022)
Anticipation got the best of me yesterday afternoon and I decided to open a bottle of the new, Feis Ile festival release from Laphroaig: Port & Wine Cask Cairdeas.
Ever since I tried the 2013 Cairdeas Port I’ve had a hard on for anything Laphroaig Port Cask. The three variations of Brodir, the EU TRE Port Wood, and the amazing 2013 Cairdeas. I want them all. Needless to say, this one was high on my “try immediately” list. The problem is the port notes on this new release are very restrained and almost non-existent. There’s red wine dryness in spades and non-iodine, BBQ meatiness a plenty- just not much port sweetness and depth. The color is beautiful, the BBQ smoke and easy drinking aspect are all here and make a fine, almost “sessionable” experience....but I want my Port Laphroaig to be ported.
I’m giving it an average score right out of the gate, but if the profile changes when I pop this cork after some hopeful oxidation in a couple of weeks I’ll gladly change it. Tariffs and import shipping charges put me in at $150usd per bottle and for about $20-30 more I can scour the auction sites for 2013 Cairdeas Port Wood bottles and be thoroughly satisfied. If you’re a Laphroaig fanboy like me, well you need a bottle in your life, but you can also wait for something a little better to come along if you have the patience. 3.5 stars (initially). Cheers.
150.0
USD
per
Bottle
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This is now on sale in the US for $100, which is about 25% more than usual for Cairdeas. That's more than can be attributed to the tariffs alone. I'll sit this one out for now.
@LeeEvolved I hope you let us know when you find a suitable successor to the 2013 Cairdeas experience.
Yes, I might have to track down a bottle of that 2003 myself. :)
@Rick_M - I’ve been chasing that 2013 Cairdeas experience ever since my lips first tasted its glory. I guess it’s time to just buy every bottle at every auction, sit back in my leather Laz-E-Boy, and laugh at all the wannabes.
That’s disappointing new.
@PBMichiganWolverine - I suspect better quality ex-port casks were used back then, along with some older whisky in the blend. Ever since the whisky boom it’s all about quantity, and you know what suffers next...
That amazing Cairdeas Portwood has been tough to replicate.