Background:
Although Laphroaig releases a Càirdeas (pronounced kind of like “car-chase”) every single year, this one somehow slipped past my radar when it released.
This particular expression is the 2018 Fèis Ìle release, so at the point in which I finally tried it, it had already been out for a few years.
The problem was that it wasn’t really available in my home market anymore and secondary prices can be unreasonable, so I was never tempted to go through the effort of finding one at retail.
But since I had just finished another wonderful peated whiskey prior to this, I decided to follow it up with one that I should have tasted a long time ago.
After all, how could I be a whisky expert who hadn’t tasted all of the annual Càirdeas releases?
Peat, Malt and a sherry cask sounded like the perfect marriage for the occasion…especially a lighter sherry like Fino that would complement the peat without overpowering it.
The Review:
Age: NAS
ABV: 51.8% (103.6 proof)
Appearance: Amber
Nose: Peanuts, Cashews, Cayenne, White Pepper, Brown Sugar, Oats. Quite Complex.
Palate: Burst of Caramel immediately on the tongue. Moderately Salty. Nuttiness is significant without being overpowering, well integrated.
Finish: Medium length, Butter, Apple Strudel, Red Berries. quite nice.
Comments: Truly phenomenal. The Fino Sherry complements PERFECTLY, but surprisingly little peat for a Laphroiag expression, even for a Càirdeas. I actually thought that the peat would shine since the cask previously held such a lighter/drier variety of sherry than the typical olorosso or Pedro Ximenex (PX) varieties. Nevertheless, this is pretty close to my idea of perfection. Well done, Laphroaig.
Rating: 8.75/10
Retail Price: ~$150 (varies) SPG: 10/10
