Laphroaig Cairdeas Fino Cask
Two Cairdeases - Part I
6 590
Review by @talexander
- Nose22
- Taste23
- Finish23
- Balance22
- Overall90
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Looks like I have a couple of Cairdeaseseses kicking around - one is the 2018 Fino, and other is the 2019 Triple Wood. Shall we?
The 2018 edition was matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks, then finished in Fino sherry casks, "carefully matured between Warehouses 8 and 10," whatever that means. No age statement is given; it is non-chill filtered; don't know if it is batch strength or not (those words are not used on the label, though it is 51.8% ABV).
The colour is a rich gold. The nose is big on lemon drops, hazelnut, massive brine and peat smoke that is a bit understated for a Laphroaig. Herring. Pine nuts. Grassy. Very nice balance between peat and lots of citrus. Water just lowers the volume. I haven't had a lot of fino sherry; I would have pegged this as a bourbon cask.
On the palate there is a sharper, tangier lemon at work - more mouth-puckering. Cigarette smoke. Much more pronounced peat. Cilantro. Mouth-coating. Silky - but less so with water. Quite complex, more satisfying than the nose in terms of variety.
The finish is, well, smoky of course, but also with buttered croissant, young wood, lemon pepper and green Tobasco. This sherry finish works very well here, I think, though I like a bit more soot with my Laphroaig. Purely for forensic DNA purposes, I'm trying it next to the standard Laphroaig 10 Year Old: the Fino is sweeter with more brine / seafood notes and more complex finish. Next let's try the 2019 Triple Wood.
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"carefully matured between Warehouses 8 and 10,"
I'm surprised you don't know what that means... Clearly it means it was matured in Warehouse 9!
Great review. I think I'm expecting a sample of this at some point from @odysseusunbound. I look forward to trying it (and comparing it to the 3 wood).