Laphroaig Càirdeas 2021 Pedro Ximenez Casks
I have to admit to being a huge Laphroaig fan, the 10 year old was the whisky that set me on my journey well over 30 years ago and has been an ever-present in my whisky cabinet ever since.
The annual release of their limited edition Càirdeas bottling is always met with interest and the bottles are almost guaranteed to entertain. Sometimes these are cask strength versions of their core range bottles, whilst others involve more unusual cask finishes such as Fino or Amontillado.
The 2021 Càirdeas bottle is essentially a cask strength version of their PX cask core range whisky. After initial maturation in First Fill American Oak ex-bourbon barrels, the spirit was allowed a secondary maturation in American Oak ex-bourbon Quarter Casks before a final period spent in European Oak Pedro Ximenez hogsheads. Bottled at a very generous 58.9%, this has real potential.
Appearance: Deep copper, forms viscous lines which eventually become beads before falling as slow, thick legs.
Nose: The PX maturation has had an obvious impact on the spirit, lots of sweet fruit notes coming through. The peat is there but perhaps not as much to the fore as would usually be expected from a cask strength Laphroaig. Almond nuttiness, almost to the point of marzipan give way to dark fruits with a little time in the glass.
Palate: An immediate burst of peat smoke, honey sweetness, baked apples with vanilla, dark fruits, followed by raisins and the initial medicinal peat softening into smoky bacon done to a crisp under the grill.
Finish: Long and warming, slight oaky astringency developing at the back of the palate.
Summary: This is a whisky that really lives up to its potential, although I suspect some Laphroaig devotees may feel a little disappointed. The sherry and peat marry beautifully, but at the expense of some of that characteristic Laphroaig peat punch. This is a lovely, complex malt which shouldn't be judged against the typical Laphroaig distillery profile, as a standalone whisky it really delivers.
It's also a whisky better taken neat, it may be 58.9% but it certainly doesn't feel like it. Addition of a few drops of water muted a lot of those interesting fruit notes and accentuated the woody astringency, leaving a much flatter experience.
In my opinion, this is one of the best Càirdeas bottlings for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s Port and Red Wine cask but, for me, this one just shades it.
