Review by: dustbunna
I’ve not been able to find Laphroaig’s annual Càirdeas releases around me until this past year, when a bottle of the CS Triple Wood showed up at one local store. I knew it wouldn’t hang around for long, so I decided to pick it up even though I hadn’t read anything about it at the time. Cask-strength Laphroaig has yet to disappoint me, anyway, and this was reasonably priced and bottled at 59.5% ABV. It’s a NAS whisky, like most of the Càirdeas releases, matured three times (how long before a finishing becomes a maturation, I wonder?), first in ex-bourbon like the 10yr, then in quarter casks and finally in ex-Oloroso sherry casks made from European oak.
I’ll note here, too, that I’m not typically a big peat+sweet person. I did like Talisker Distillers Edition quite a bit more than the 10, but I’ve always enjoyed Ardbeg Corryvreckan more than Uigeadail, Lagavulin 8 over the 16 or Distillers Edition, etc., etc.
Distillery: Laphroaig.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 59.5%. Cask strength.
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: Ex-bourbon, double finish in quarter casks and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.
Price: $85 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 7 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder (consistent through the entire bottle).
Nose: huge, dark-roasted caramel, rich milk chocolate, moss, leather, candied cherry tree bark (no that’s not a thing), sarsaparilla, pipe tobacco, slightly burnt creme brulée.
Palate: full body ~ all on butterscotch and peat smoke on arrival, then cherry cough syrup followed by minerals and forest decay.
Finish: medium-long ~ iodine, caramelized sugar, more sarsaparilla spices, candied bacon, cola.
Conclusion: This is the most consistent bottle of whisky I’ve owned so far– seven months in, it remained as potent and complex as day 1, delivering the exact same gorgeous profile. In a way, it picks up where the 10CS leaves off once the peat calms down a bit, with lots of interesting sweet-savory interplay. It has no business being as drinkable at 119 proof as it is. I was expecting all the wood influence to mute what I’ve come to know as Laphroaig’s standard character, but instead it augments that core, shining through the Oloroso influence in really interesting ways. If I had to nitpick, I wish the finish was longer (surprising given it’s a cask-strength peater) but overall this is stunning and I wish I had more of it.
Final Score: 89.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 