Laphroaig Cairdeas 2019 Triple Wood CS
It’s funny how palates change over time. It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a big Laphroaig fan, having almost always had several Laphroaig expressions in my home bar at any given time. Some may have even called me a Laphroaig fanboy (I wouldn’t go that far, but I was close). When I first started this humble little whisky blog, I gave several favorable reviews to the core lineup. But soon I found that I was enjoying official bottles from Laphroaig less and less. It seemed like most of what was coming from the distillery was a bit too immature, a bit too wooden, with a distinct note of chewing on cardboard. A bit too muddied and lacking a certain crispness. I stopped buying Laphroaig for the most part. I gave last year’s Cairdeas release a poor review. I’ve had some amazing independent bottles and older expressions of Laphroaig recently, but have mostly lost interest in the what is currently being bottled officially.
So what has changed more, me or the whisky? I’m certainly not the only person who thinks that the recent output of Laphroaig has seen diminished quality, but is it really just that? Or have I simply moved on in my whisky journey to other flavor profiles? I don’t know, to be honest. I certainly still love peated whisky. And I’ve had some terrific independent Laphroaig recently that I loved. I think in all likelihood, it’s a little of both—my tastes have changed, but so has the whisky. Regardless, I’m not here to answer that question today. Perhaps sometime I’ll manage to set up a side by side of current vs older Laphroaig to see if the whisky really has changed all that much over the last decade. That would be a fun night. Instead today I’m going to talk about the latest Cairdeas release.
In the past, Laphroaig’s annual Cairdeas release was always an automatic blind buy for me. When it first hit the shelves locally, it would quickly be in my shopping cart. But after last year’s disappointment, I decided I would not blind buy it again. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice… well, you can’t get fooled again. So I tried a sample of the 2019 Cairdeas before buying a full bottle. I was pleasantly surprised. Not that it was amazing, but I did find it enjoyable enough to come home with a bottle in my hand. And here we are.
Cairdeas 2019 is a cask strength bottling of one of Laphroaig’s core range expressions, Triple Wood, much like what they did with the 2017 release, which was a cask strength version of Quarter Cask. The name Triple Wood refers of course to the fact that the whisky is triple matured, first in ex-bourbon barrels, then in quarter casks, and finally in European oak casks which previously held oloroso sherry. In the case of the Cairdeas version, it is then barrier filtered and bottled at cask strength (59.5% ABV).
So I liked this whisky enough based on a sample to buy a bottle, but how much do I really like it? On to the review to find out!
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2019 Review
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
ABV: 59.5%
Nose
Typical young Laphroaig notes accompanied by sherry sweetness. Iodine. Medicine. Vitamins. Campfire peatiness. Cardboard. Tar. Burnt rubber. Menthol. Rich red fruits. Cherry cordial. Dried tropical fruits. Spicy cinnamon. Rather nice.
Palate
Clearly young, but that’s not entirely a bad thing—I’ve had some excellent young Laphroaig in the past (mostly indie). Quite a bit of astringent oak and cardboard, which is a bit of a bad thing. But there’s still plenty to like here. Sweet sherry. Red fruits. Creamy chocolate. And of course plenty of medicinal peat smoke and Laphroaig’s typical character. Somewhat meaty. Iodine. Minerals. Cinnamon candies (Hot Tomales). Raisin toast. The texture is solid enough, oily with a medium viscosity, although nothing to write home about.
The real problem on the palate is the problem with so many recent Laphroaig bottlings… it’s muted and muddied and even with plenty of nice notes, lacks the crispness and cohesion that’s at the core of a proper Laphroaig. Maybe the blending is off a bit? I’m not sure, but it’s lacking a certain spark.
Finish
Fairly long and quite enjoyable. Peat smoke. Tar. Dark chocolate. Red fruits. More defined and clear than the palate. Probably the best aspect of this whisky.
Overall
A decent modern Laphroaig. It’s better than the regular version of Triple Wood, which I don’t care for much (and never did, even when I was a much bigger Laphroaig fan than I am now). My only real complaint here is that the palate is a bit too woody, with that distinct modern Laphroaig cardboard note that I find a bit off-putting. Well, that along with the issue of the palate being a little muddy and muted. It’s nice. Enjoyable. It just lacks the crispness that I look for in a good Laphroaig, which is a common problem in recent expressions. Still, it’s a pretty solid modern day Islay whisky for the price.
SCORE: 6/10
Final Thoughts
I’d never pass up drinking Laphroaig. I’ve been to many bars in the US where Laphroaig 10 year old is the only Islay single malt available at a reasonable price, and I’ve consumed it in such bars a handful of times recently. It’s nice for that purpose. So I’m not a Laphroaig hater by any means. Hell, I actually like Laphroaig Lore. But when it comes to buying full bottles for my home bar, I’m mostly sticking to independent bottles of Laphroaig these days. Yes, they can be hard to find depending on where you live, but they are out there and often worth hunting down. One of these days, I’ll actually review one.
As for this Cairdeas, I’ve been enjoying it well enough. My bottle is nearly empty, and I’m almost considering getting a second one. Probably won’t though. It’s nice, but not really a repeat buy in my book.
Buying Advice: If you’re a big Laphroaig fan who likes a little sherry influence, you’ll probably enjoy this release. Cairdeas remains quite reasonably priced for a special release Islay whisky, so it’s not the worst purchase you could make. If you’re on the fence, I would definitely try to taste a sample before committing to a whole bottle.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
