Laphroaig Cardeas 2014

I've got a brief observation to share with the Cairdeas 2013. The nose is a little flat and the finish is not very characteristic of Laphroaig. This can be remedied quite easily with a dash of Cask Strength added to your glass. I've been using 005 and it works quite well to pep up the slumbering drowsy sherry whisky to a very nice degree that rekindles that typical Laphroaig profile in a good way.

Hey @rigmorole - thanks for the idea. Here's what I found youtu.be/7FfGukZcRzU

Well, I thought somebody would surely have blown the bugle here in these United States by now, but nobody has so far, so here I am playing revielle: Get 2014 while you can, brothers and sisters. It's in the US now and will be gone soon, I'm sure.

I must be psychic: woke up a few years ago and just KNEW that the Pappy V Winks had just arrived at my local liquor store in Portland. So I rolled out of bed, called before the doors open, and YES, it was in the truck being unloaded even as the cashier and I spoke.

Well, same thing yesterday with the Cairdeas 2014. I called to see when, and it had just come in only an hour before. How does one explain that sort of bizarre premonition? Although, in all fairness, this time I hadn't thought it would be in. I just happened to call out of the blue only one hour after it had come in. Still, what are the chances? I'd never called before. Just one call. On THE day.

Here's another story that also happens to be true. In 2003, my landlord decided to sell the house I was renting and so I need to find a new place. I woke up on a Saturday morn and let my "body" float out over Portland, spying below for the best place to rent. Kind of a vivid daydream type thing. In my mind's eye, I could literally see the city below. So I float down to an apartment duplex on a street that was quite ideal.

Anyways, I'm looking through Craigslist the next day and spot an apartment in the same general neighborhood for rent (as the one I'd visualized) but there is no address. Never in a million years did my conscious mind think it could be the exact one I'd wanted. I call the number, a guy answers, and tells me when and where to show up. Back then, Google wasn't so good with exact addressed, so I drove there not knowing where precisely the place was located.

So I show up at the showing the next day. I'm second in line. It's the exact duplex and the exact apartment. I gulped hard because it was so weird. The couple before me toured the apartment and passed due to it being a little to small. I walked in, took one look, and said I'd take the place. The landlord called my references and called me back within a few hours. Boom, the place was mine, just like that.

Later, the landlord confessed to me (months later in fact) that because the location had been so popular, had had only answered a few calls over about twenty minutes and that was it. He hadn't taken any more calls. My call had been the second one. No answering machine or voicemail. Just him sitting in a room and taking my call.

Well, it turned out that apartment was really really nice, ostensibly, but several very dark and very tragic things happened to me while I was living there. I won't say what precisely, but it was bad enough to nearly quench the flame, so to speak.

Now, over a decade later, I won't even drive through that neighborhood. Too spooky. I would have been better off never having lived in that seemingly dreamy place. Bad luck for sure. Hey, ya never know. Right? Sometimes fate and serendipity become wyrd.

Speaking of Cardeas...I have a bottle of Cardeas Origin 2012. Is each annual released finished in a different cask?

That Origin is quite rare now! I have two bottles that I found for $44 each recently. Yes, different casks altogether. The 2012 has some much older stuff in it than the 2014.

Here are Mark's tasting notes: Nose: The nose is marked not so much by the typical smoky character of Laffie, but offers mostly a very sweet and fruity nose. Yep, a lot of sherry casks went into this release. Lime, apricots, cherries, banana, wood shavings, toffee, pineapple on the grill, caramel, pencil shavings, raw planks and so much more. Halfway through it even becomes a bit bourbonny. Somewhat strange, but very nice. With a teaspoon of water, it becomes sweeter still, like crème brûlée. But also somewhat greener on garden herbs such as thyme and rosemary. Weird!

Taste: The arrival is mildly drying and again my first idea is sipping a smoky bourbon. How weird indeed! Loads of tannins, lime, lemongrass and pepper. Nuts, too! It becomes a little more creamy and less drying when adding a few drops of water.

Here's a review of the Cairdeas 2014 by pilgrim 77 from Whiskybase: Soft peat on the nose (less medicinal than other 'standard' versions) allowing through butterscotch, cream, sweet berries and faint citrus notes. A drop of water brought the peat more to the fore. More peat on the palate but with nice creamy and nutty aspects balancing things out. Long peaty and salty finish. Very nice. Only drawback was a slight youthful roughness on the finish, but this could be taken as a bonus if you like a peaty 'edge' (a bit like recent Kilchoman releases). Excellent price/quality ratio (much better than other Feis 2014 releases from some other distilleries!).

2014 lasted at Binnys for only a few days. It sold out a lot faster than last year