Islay

Laphroaig Càirdeas Triple Wood Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

59.5% ABV
$80
Website

We would like to thank Laphroaig and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Each year, Laphroaig Distillery Manager, John Campbell, crafts a limited edition malt to celebrate friendship (“Càirdeas” in Gaelic). Those who were lucky enough to attend this year’s Fèis Ìle celebrations had the chance to share a dram of this unique whisky, which is one of the most anticipated Laphroaig offerings each year.
This year’s limited release is a triple maturation. First matured in ex-bourbon barrels, the liquid is next saturated with flavor in smaller quarter casks, and finished in European oak casks that previously housed Oloroso sherry, giving the expression a sweet and smooth finish. It is then barrier filtered and bottled at cask strength to create a punchy dram with Laphroaig’s signature richness of flavor and smoky taste.

TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Burnished Gold.
NOSE: Polished leather and tobacco leaves with spicy lemon and clementine zest. Subtle notes of golden syrup and rich heather honey, with autumn leaves, hazelnuts, vanilla fudge and a touch of white pepper and nutmeg. Dried camomile flowers and a touch of passion fruits.
BODY: Full bodied.
PALATE: Sweet with rich toffee, with dates, maple syrup, praline and crème caramel. Grilled chestnuts with tarte Tatin, marzipan and strong black pepper. Cedar wood, a touch of furniture polish and beeswax.
FINISH: Sweet, long with caramel and spicy buttery fudge.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peat, iodine, a smokey campfire, old leather, cigar tobacco, citrus spice notes with subtle floral wisps.
Palate:  Rich with caramel, peat, toffee, apricots, figs, a slightly sharp pepper bite with sea salt and allspice.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with peat, black pepper and dried fruits.
Comments:  I’m a fan of Laphroaig, and this didn’t disappoint. My favorite readily available offering is the 10 yr cask strength, so I couldn’t wait to get this in a side-by-side match up with it. This has more depth on both the nose and palate, with more fruit notes and nuance. I can’t imagine any fans of Laphroaig being disappointed. Like last year’s Cairdeas Fino Cask Finish, they’ve done a nice job of keeping it squarely in the Laphroaig wheelhouse, with just some subtle nudging here and there.

Rating: Stands Out

Kilchoman Sanaig

46% ABV
$70 – $75
Website

What the Distillery Says

Sanaig, named after an inlet on Islay’s rugged Atlantic cost, is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in both sherry and bourbon barrels. This sherry cask scotch whisky is matured in a high proportion of oloroso barrels (70%), imparting a balance of dried fruits, dark chocolate and rich peat smoke into the spirit.

CASK TYPE: BOURBON & SHERRY
PEAT LEVEL: 50 PARTS PER MILLION

NOSE: Fragrant heather, raisins, pear and orange peel with waves of stoned fruits, mixed spices and rich peat smoke
PALATE: Over ripe plums, red cherries and hints of citrus give way to rich barbeque peat smoke, toffee, oak and dark chocolate
FINISH: Mouth-coating mixed fruit, caramel, cinnamon and clove with layers of brown sugar, spices, peat smoke and lasting sweetness

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peaty with dark fruit notes, raisins, a bit of sherry, lemon meringue, a hint of bbq sauce, smoked meat and fresh hay.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel at the start, tart cherries, raisins, lemon custard, vanilla, honey, sharpening with some pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long with vanilla and peat smoke trailing.
Comments:  This was my favorite of the three Kilchoman whiskies included in the Flaviar tasting box. More fruit notes, more depth – still plenty of peat and smoke but they’re not hogging the spotlight. I would really love to try this with more age.

Rating: Stands Out

Kilchoman Machir Bay

46% ABV
$55 – $63
Website

What the Distillery Says

Machir Bay, our signature peated single malt, is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. Named after Islay’s most spectacular beach, the high proportion of bourbon barrels create a distinct balance of classic Islay character and fresh floral complexity. It has a vatting of approximately 90% bourbon barrels and 10% oloroso sherry casks.

CASK TYPE: BOURBON & SHERRY
PEAT LEVEL: 50 PARTS PER MILLION

NOSE: Lemon zest, vanilla and distinct coastal influence give way to floral intensity, juicy peaches, pears, and wafts of rich spices
PALATE: Bursts of tropical fruit and dried sultanas, warming smoke and waves of honey, malt, butterscotch and rich sweetness
FINISH: Sherry-soaked fruit, cracked black pepper and sea salt. Long-lasting with layers of citrus sweetness and maritime peat smoke

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peat with some citrus fruit, cantaloupe, lemon peel, cut grass, green wood, earthy with some smoke and a hint of sea air.
Palate:  Starts sweet, berries in vanilla cream, honey, peat rolls in and sharpens with some pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length with gentle spice and peat.
Comments:  In terms of color, this is a very light dram. A bit better balanced than the Sauternes cask finish – a bit less intense with the peat and not quite as sharp. More fruit notes, and a bit less of the sea air.

Rating: Stands Out

Lagavulin 8 Yrs Old

48% ABV
$60-$70
Website

What the Distillery Says

This bicentenary limited edition is magnificently full-on in flavour – a celebration of the people and craft that make Lagavulin great.

Nose: Immediately quite soft with clean, fresh notes, faint hints of milk chocolate and lemon and then developing fragrant tea-scented smoke alongside nose-drying, maritime aromas, with subtle cereal. A prickliness seen earlier now develops, while the trademark Lagavulin dryness emerges as fresh newsprint. Softly sooty. Softer, fuller and more rounded with water: it’s not hugely fruity but there’s just a trace of red berry preserve, perhaps, beneath the smokiness, which comes sharply into focus.

Palate: A soothing light texture, with a magnificently full on Lagavulin taste that’s somehow even bigger than you expect; sweet, smoky and warming, with a growing, smoky pungency, then dry, with more smoke. Charred, with minty, dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced midpalate then salty, oven-charred baked potato skins and smoke. Water rounds things, the taste still mighty yet more succulent, sweeter, spicier and now tongue-tingling, mint-fresh and warming.

Finish: Lovely; clean, very long and smoky. Smoothly, subtle minted smoke surrounds chocolate tannins, leaving a late drying note to emerge in time. It’s warming, soft and still smoky with water, not as long or intense now, yet still leaving the palate dry as sweet smoke lingers on the breath.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peat smoke, earthy, musty, light iodine, notes of husky grains.
Palate:  Sweet peat, honey with a sharper oak and pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with a hint of stout (seriously – Guinness?).
Comments:  Compared with Lagavulin 16 yr, the color is much lighter, the nose is less rich, and the palate is sweeter but has less depth. But for being only 8 yrs old, it is surprisingly delicious. Unmistakably Lagavulin. I’m sure the higher proof helps with the comparison (and leaves me dreaming of what 16 or 20 yr old cask strength Lagavulin must be like). Fans of Lagavulin should seek this out if only to experience the whiskey at half the age. I was definitely impressed on that score.

Rating: Stands Out