Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 200th Anniversary Edition

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Laphroaig.

Region: Islay.

Age: NAS.

ABV: 51.5%.

Price: Courtesy of Raygun.

Color: 0.6, Old Gold.

This review was done blind.

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Nose: This is meaty, peaty, and somehow very familiar. There’s a bit of acidity in the form of grilled lemon along with some notes of a leaner pork cut on the grill. There’s a bit of saltiness as well, not quite a coastal salty sea air note but something similar.

Palate: Peat is in your face here, it’s a little dirty with some sooty and industrial notes. You get more of the grilled lemon along with some coastal salinity.

Finish: Long. It’s like the charred bits of something you’ve just grilled coating your tongue and staying there (in the most pleasant way possible, of course). A little more of the grilled lemon comes through but note as strongly as the nose and palate.

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Guess: Scotland. Malt whisky. Islay. Laphroaig. 15-19 years of age. 50-55% ABV. Ex-bourbon casks.

Reveal: Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 200th Anniversary Edition.

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Conclusion: When I first poured this blind from Raygun, I couldn’t help but feel that it felt very familiar. My mind immediately went to a distillery handfill/u/KissMeElon shared with me a couple of years ago. This Laphroaig doesn’t have the fatty pork notes but the grilled lemon with some pork it does have were really nice. Those pork notes would have been really welcome in the palate and finish to add some extra depth here but overall this is still pretty good.

Rating: 82.

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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.