Whisky : Laphroaig Cairdeas 2019 Triple Wood

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 59.5%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon, Quarter Casks, Ex-Oloroso European Oak

Nose : Rich fruits at a seaside barbecue.  Flaming cherries jubilee, candied bacon, roast beef drippings, and cedar plank baked salmon.  Wood varnish and waxed church pews come through as deeper wood notes, but the nose gradually settles on sweet maritime and charcoal grill.

Palate : Medium bodied with a mild oiliness and a healthy dose of sweet fruity brine.  Prawns on the grill, fruity sweet chili sauce, salty fish sauce, and a subtle herbal incense.  Grilled fruit jam, bacon jam, leather, and shoe polish develop on the back end.

Finish :  Lingering rich dark fruits with a sprinkle of ‘alaea— red earth salt.

Score : 6

Mental Image : A Salmon’s Quinceanera

Something Better : Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman (similar bacon and spice, less wood)

Something Similar : Bunnhabhain 11 Year SMWS 10.176 (similar seaside bbq, less intense)

Something Worse : Caol Ila 12 Year; SU Callisto VIII (similar sweet chili/maritime, less complex)

Notes :  In one of my prouder tasting moments I was given this as a blind mystery sample and actually managed to identify exactly what it was.  It definitely helped that I had sampled this Cairdeas release a few weeks prior.  Unlike the 2018 release, I think this one more clearly embodies some of the classic iodine and salty maritime notes of Laphroaig.  This was a wonderful mix of brine and fruit with enough complex meaty notes to keep my interest.  I do wish there was a bit more thickness and viscosity to the overall body, sometimes it can feel bit thin.  Overall, this was an upgrade on the 2018 release.

The oddest experience tasting this Cairdeas was that when my wife first tried it, she absolutely loved it.  However, when she sampled it blind, she hated it and could not believe that it was the 2019 Cairdeas.  It could just have been her palate on that particular night— because I was absolutely shocked she turned on Laphroaig like that.  The PX cask has been one of our favorite bottles to grab while traveling and this is about as close to a Cask Strength version of that as we are likely to get for now.