Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018
Cask finishing… love it or hate it? It’s become more and more common to find whisky producers finishing their product in some sort of alternate cask, often sherry, port, or some other sort of wine cask. We’re seeing more of it in the bourbon and rye world, and it’s commonplace in the single malt world. Some whisky enthusiasts seem to love it, while more traditionalist whisky drinkers roll their eyes at it. I’m somewhere in between personally, although I usually meet finishes with a good deal of skepticism. I’ve had some finished single malts that are really quite good, so I won’t completely write off a finished whisky, but it seems like a lot of whisky makers use wood finishes as a way to perk up an otherwise boring dram, and the end result is often only just north of boring. In other cases, a sherry finish may elevate a dram to the point of temptation, but leaves you wanting more… and not in a good way, but in a “wish this was a full sherry maturation rather than just a finish” way.
Laphroaig is no stranger to finishing casks. Not only does the Islay distillery have several finished expressions in their standard lineup (Quarter Cask, Triple Wood, etc.), they also commonly use a secondary maturation in their annual Cairdeas release. Last year it was a cask strength version of Quarter Cask, while previous finished Cairdeas releases have included Port, Amontillado, and Madeira casks, to varying degrees of success. The latest Cairdeas release continues that tradition by taking whisky initially aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels and finishing it in casks that previously held Fino sherry.
Sherry matured Laphroaig can be a wonderful thing. It’s not easy to find, and it will cost you a pretty penny, but Laphroaig that’s received a full sherry maturation (rather than simply a finish) can be simply blissful. You won’t find any such whisky in Laphroaig’s standard lineup. Lore has some sherry influence and Triple Wood is a sherry finished whisky (and one of the few Laphroaig expressions available in the US that I’ve yet to review… I haven’t reviewed it because I’ve never bought a bottle… and I haven’t bought a bottle because, quite frankly, it’s not very good, based on the samples I’ve tried of it), but to find a Laphroaig that’s been fully sherry matured, one must look to the independent bottlers. And even then, it’s rather uncommon. I mention this because when I picked up a bottle of 2018 Cairdeas, I was hoping it would summon at least a little of the magic of a good sherry aged Laphroaig.
It should be noted that Fino sherry is a much different style of sherry than what is typically used to age single malts. Fino is a dry style of sherry, less sweet than Oloroso and much less sweet than Pedro Ximénez, both of which are more commonly used to age whisky (Oloroso being more common). Although there have been a number of other single malts aged in Fino sherry casks, it’s not incredibly common.
With the Cairdeas series, Laphroaig likes to give us something a little different every year. It’s a way to showcase different types of cask maturation… or at least different types of cask finishing. I really hope that one of these years Laphroaig will give us a full sherry cask maturation in a Cairdeas release rather than just a finish. One can dream. In the meantime, let’s see what we have here with this Fino sherry finished malt.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018 Review
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
ABV: 51.8%
Non chill-filtered
Nose
Typical Laphroaig peat smoke, medicinal and spicy. Sea salt and toffee. Faint hints of sweet wine. Cinnamon candy. Dried strawberries. Sandalwood. Lovely and promising.
Palate
Clearly Laphroaig, young and potent, yet slightly mellowed out. Sweetly smoky. Fruity, with a good bit of strawberry jam. Sea salted caramel. A touch of milk chocolate. Peppery cardboard. Menthol. Sandalwood. A little floral, which I don’t usually (or ever) find in a Laphroaig. There’s a slightly harsh ethanol note that isn’t up front, but is noticeable (especially when the bottle was first opened). A drop of water reduces the harshness, but also drowns the other flavors… I prefer this one without water in spite of that bit of harshness. The Fino sherry influence is here, but barely—I wish it were more prominent. The mouthfeel is thin and unremarkable. I enjoy most of the flavors on the palate, but I wish they were dialed up another level.
Finish
Short in length… most of the flavor falls off quickly. Medicinal peat smoke. Strawberry sauce. Chocolate drizzle. Toffee. Briny, with traces of sea shells and lobster tail. What’s there is nice, but it doesn’t last long.
Overall
This Cairdeas cries for more time in the cask. It could have been a classic, if only it were given a full Fino sherry maturation—or even just a longer finish (or perhaps a longer start in ex-bourbon)—rather than the rather short finish it seems to have been given. It’s often said that heavily peated whisky does well at young ages, and while that certainly can be true (for instance, Octomore and most bottles of Kilchoman), it’s not always true.
When I first opened the bottle, I found the palate to be overly harsh, but after it mellowed out it became more enjoyable… but still not great and in the end, disappointing. The harsh ethanol note never entirely disappears, and the sherry notes are just a tease. The nose is nice, but the palate doesn’t quite live up to it, and the finish is barely existent.
The 2018 Cairdeas is simply an unremarkable Laphroaig. It’s not completely awful. It’s OK… it just doesn’t quite do it for me. In spite of having a few enjoyable notes, it’s just too immature.
SCORE: 4/10
Final Thoughts
Perhaps I’m being too harsh on this whisky. I’m sure there are plenty of Laphroaig fans who will it enjoy. But in the end, this one just doesn’t excite me, even if it is fairly enjoyable.
If you had asked me a few years ago to name my favorite distillery, I would have said Laphroaig, without question. That’s no longer the case, in part because I’ve explored so many more whiskies, but also because my taste for Laphroaig has diminished a bit. I still love a good Laphroaig, don’t get me wrong. I’ve had some indie bottlings recently that have been absolutely stellar… but I’m starting to find many of the distillery’s official bottlings to be a bit lackluster. Select is awful. Triple Wood isn’t that great. The 10 year cask strength is still good, I’ll grant that. But Quarter Cask, which has always been my favorite Laphroaig expression (other than the discontinued 18 year), doesn’t taste quite as good to me as it used to. Has the quality of the whisky gone down, or are my tastes just changing? I don’t know. But I do know that the 2018 Cairdeas is my least favorite Cairdeas from the ones I’ve tried (2015-2018). I know a lot of people were a little disappointed with last year’s Cairdeas, but I was not one of them. I still have some of the 2017 and after tasting it side by side with the 2018—to my palate it’s no contest. The 2017 version was vastly better.
Buying Advice: If you’re on the fence about buying this year’s Cairdeas, I suggest trying before buying. If you can’t find a sample to try first, then I recommend spending your money on a different bottle. Although Cairdeas has remained at a reasonable price (unlike Ardbeg’s special releases), this year’s version is nothing special.
Drink This Not That: If you’re looking for a sweeter, sherry-matured Islay whisky, I would look elsewhere. Ardbeg Uigeadail is always a solid choice, or perhaps a bottle of sherry aged Kilchoman.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
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