Laphroaig Càirdeas 2025 Lore Cask Strength - 59.6%
From the distillery website
Made by marrying five of our all-time favourite casks, each with its own story to tell, this is a cask-strength version of one of our best loved expressions, Cask Lore.
Cask Lore is a fan-favourite classic – and one of our most complex, layered flavour profiles. With this special version, our Friends can enjoy it just like our whisky makers do.
Càirdeas 2025 Lore Cask Strength builds on an already layered flavour profile with even more intensity, without ever compromising on subtlety. It takes you on a journey from zesty and salty high notes to warm hints of spices, wood and pepper – finishing with the deep, antiseptic richness of Islay peat.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Amber gold, forms a thin line which falls slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Phenolic peat, ashy smoke, lemon citrus and briny sea breeze.
Palate: Oily to the point of chewiness, medicinal peat smoke, nutty oak, lemon zest, salted caramel sauce, dark chocolate, cinnamon and black pepper bring spicy warmth. A drop of water brings creaminess to the mouthfeel, together with a little more chocolate, oak spice and nuttiness, at the expense of some of the warmth and medicinal phenol.
Finish: Nuttiness and caramel dissipate to leave gently phenolic peat smoke, prickly black pepper, lemon citrus and lightly astringent oak. With a little water the finish becomes sweeter, more phenolic and adds a touch more dryness.
Overall: I must admit the first dram of this didn’t have the initial impact I was hoping for. Instead of punchy and medicinal, the first impression was disappointing and somewhat lacking in that Laphroaig character.
However, after putting the bottle to one side for a few days to allow it to open up, the difference is huge. Now there is that signature medicinal peatiness, not as pronounced as in some bottlings but enough to make its presence felt, together with layers of complexity from the marriage of different cask types.
A very enjoyable dram taken neat, this is one of those dangerous whiskies that drinks far easier than its abv would suggest. One of the beauties of cask strength whisky is that you can play around with a little water to find your own sweet spot, and this is a whisky that responds well to a little reduction.
If I compare this to the previous Càirdeas bottlings, I wouldn’t put it into my top 3 but it still does pretty well. If you enjoy the standard Lore bottling, it’s well worth investing a little bit more and giving this a whirl. I look forward to seeing how much this one evolves in the coming weeks now that it’s been given a little air.
If you would like more information on this whisky, the distillery or any of the other Laphroaig whiskies, follow the link to the company website.
