Laphroaig Cairdeas White Port & Madeira

The annual Cairdeas release from Laphroaig saw the use of both Madeira wine and White Port casks in 2023. Laphroaig actually gives us the aging scheme on their website: three quarters of the liquid were aged in Madeira, while the remaining quarter saw the use of that White Port.

White Port, made in the Douro Valley of Portugal, is a variant of Port wine that's made by fewer producers and has a shorter maceration period leading to lighter color; it's generally more acidic or dry in flavor than Ruby Ports. Paired with the Madeira (also a product of Portugal, but this time, from the island of Madeira), which is generally a darker fortified wine, we could expect to see a variety of fruit flavors from the whisky's aging process.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Very interesting and savory - mushroom risotto, strong phenolic peat, a bit sharp. It's a bit buttery, almost like buttered croissants with a pastry note; warming and slightly peppery, too.

Palate: Musty, a bit dirty, with heavy peat. The flavors are quite rich - buttery, brown sugar, pepper, and some peach adds a fruit note. Stronger malt lies in the background - a nice combination of sweet and smoky flavors.

Finish: Like a smoked Manhattan cocktail - heavy peat, oily, soft bitterness and pepper. Still rich like the palate, and we get some vanilla, sweet mango, and pineapple in the aftertaste, along with more of the malt from the end of the palate.

52.3% ABV / 104.6 Proof

750 ML