Laphroaig Cairdeas 2020 Port & Wine Casks
Another year, another Laphroaig Cairdeas. Of course 2020 has hardly been just another year. It’s been, well, a year none of us will ever forget, and I’ll leave it at that. So is the latest Cairdeas release as memorable (for good or bad) as this year has been?
The Cairdeas series is Laphroaig’s annual limited release whisky. It’s different every year, but most Cairdeas releases feature different types of cask maturation, be it madeira, sherry, quarter casks, port, etc. I’ve reviewed several Cairdeas releases over the last few years, all of which you can find on my whisky review archive page.
For those who have followed the Cairdeas releases over the years, many would say the highlight of the series was the 2013 release aged in port casks. The 2020 Cairdeas follows a similar formula, combining whisky aged in bourbon and port casks, but with the added influence of a red wine cask finish. To be specific (per Laphroaig’s website), this Cairdeas is a “unique marriage of our classic Laphroaig whisky rested in second-fill Ruby Port ‘barriques’ along with whisky double matured in ex-Bourbon barrels followed by ex-red wine casks.” A potentially promising proposition. I’ve had whisky aged in port casks and whisky aged in red wine casks, but never a malt aged in both. Sounds like fun.
There is one curious bit about this bottle that has me a little puzzled. The tagline. For years Laphroaig has used the slogan, “The most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies.” All of the other official bottlings of Laphroaig I own have this slogan printed on either the box or label (usually both). But the 2020 Cairdeas has made a slight adjustment. On the box (but not the bottle, which has no slogan that I can find) it reads, “One of the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies.” One of? Not the most, just one of the most? Oh Laphroaig, what has happened? Have you lost your swagger? Did you get sued over your singular tagline? Did I miss that news? Or did you simply decide to make a marketing change away from such boldly boasts to a more humble brag? Perhaps Beam Suntory (Laphroaig’s parent company) felt the old slogan hurt their other single malt brands? I don’t know, but I find it fascinating. So far the 2020 Cairdeas is the only Laphroaig bottling where I’ve seen this change, but I would guess we’ll start to see it on all Laphroaig bottles eventually. It wouldn’t make much sense to only change it here on their limited annual release… unless they’re trying to tell us something about this particular expression? Uh oh, let’s hope not…
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2020 Review
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
ABV: 52%
Nose
Mixed berries, especially raspberries. Raspberry gelato. Sweet red wine. The port influence is obvious. Peach cobbler. Cherries. Juicy plums. Caramel pudding. Typical Laphroaig medicinal peat smoke, although rather subdued by the fruity wine influence. Briny. Punchy. Medical bandages. Nice balance and quite enjoyable. A few drops of water really brings the fruit and port to the forefront. Quite an excellent nose.
Palate
Fruity port loaded with berries and just the right amount of tannic oak for balance. Vanilla ice cream topped with a generous amount of raspberry syrup. Prune juice. Sweet cinnamon and spice. A bit of chocolate. A nice amount of peat smoke. A hint of grilled onions. The medicinal notes are toned down compared to many other young Laphroaigs, although still present. Youthfulness comes through on the backend of the palate, along with a bit of bitterness, black pepper, and a hint of sourness. Thankfully lacking the cardboard and pencil shaving notes I’ve found in some recent Laphroaig bottlings. Like the nose, a few drops of water substantially improves things, really bringing out the port influence. Tasty stuff.
A decently creamy texture. Not an incredibly thick mouthfeel, but the creaminess is enjoyable nonetheless. Better mouthfeel than most recent Laphroaig OBs (which isn’t saying much, as most Laphroaig bottlings have been a little on the thin side recently).
Finish
Medium in length. The medicinal peat smoke comes out here more than on the palate, as do youthful ethanol notes. Once the peat and ethanol subside, a lovely plum note emerges and lasts quite a while. A bit of black pepper. Cocoa powder is there too. Still, the finish may be the weak link of this dram due to the emerging youthfulness. Not as young tasting as the last couple of Cairdeas releases though.
Overall
I’m enjoying this Laphroaig quite a bit. To my palate, it’s the best Cairdeas in a number of years. I did like last year’s Triple Wood Cask Strength to an extent, but I like the 2020 better. Like the other recent Cairdeas releases, it does seem that this is fairly young, but to me it seems less young than the last few releases and works better as a young dram. Yes, there are some spritely notes that emerge on the backend of the palate and the finish, but not so strongly that it gives this malt a black eye (unlike Ardbeg’s 2020 limited release, Blaaack, which is far too young and inferior to this Cairdeas… talk about a blaaack eye). The port and wine influences provide a nice balance for Laphroaig’s medicinal and briny peat smoked spirit, without overwhelming the whisky. A solid Froggy that I’m happy to have.
SCORE: 7/10
Final Thoughts
I imagine what many people want to know is how does this Cairdeas compare to the 2013 Port Wood Cairdeas. I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I’ve not yet been able to get my hands on even a sample of the 2013. I’ve heard from some people who have had both the 2013 and the 2020 that the 2013 had a much stronger port influence. That seems likely, given that the 2020 also includes some red wine influence to compete with the port. All I can say is that I notice the port wine much more than the red wine in the 2020, and that I’m not sure if I’d want any more port influence. Port can really overwhelm a single malt, even a malt as massive as Laphroaig. It’s a potent influence, and frankly, it doesn’t always work. The 2020 Cairdeas has just about as much port influence as I’d want in a whisky—any more and it would probably be too sweet, at least to my palate.
Buying Advice: If you’re a fan of fruity and sweet mixed with Laphroaig’s style of single malt, I think you’ll enjoy this whisky. This is the first Cairdeas in a while in which I plan to buy a second bottle. I applaud Laphroaig for the fact that, unlike their Islay rival Ardbeg, they still manage to keep their annual special releases under $100.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
