Laphroaig Càirdeas 2024 Cask Favourites

A comparison with the 2024 Càirdeas Cask Favorites to examine how the Pedro Ximenez influence manifests in each bottling. The PX version is noticeably darker, with a reddish-maroon hue, while the Cask Favorites is more of a rose gold color. Nose: PX Cask: Rich, sweet, and spicy. Sticky/syrupy dark and dried fruits. Craisins, dried plum/cherry, dried vanilla bean, and baking spice. Earthy sherry notes. A slight hint of charred oak. Strong salinity, reminiscent of a coastal peat fire. -- The 2024 Càirdeas is distinctly more forward with vanilla and charred oak, yet still retains a pleasant element of the sticky PX influence. Palate: PX Cask: Dark, sweet, and fruity, with a nice underlying robust medicinal and phenolic Laphroaig peat. Notes of black cherry, dried dark fruits, and a hint of dark mixed berry/currant jam. A touch of vanilla and a pleasant overall Christmas spice character. Drying tannic charred oak and bitter cacao as it transitions to the finish. -- Càirdeas 2024 exhibits a noticeably stronger cinnamon/spice element, along with vanilla and more robust oakiness. Finish: PX Cask: The peat is prominent here, with an ashy, phenolic quality and a pleasant strong salty sea spray. Charred oak warmth is also present. -- Càirdeas '24 remains spicier and warmer, with more oak influence and less maritime character on the finish. It has a bit more dark chocolate.

Rich, deep, dark, and phenolic. Heavy peat smoke dominates at first, but doesn't overwhelm. Nosing reveals the smoke dissipating, bringing out greater sweetness and woody spice from this nuanced aroma. Notes of dark honey, vanilla bean, Plumeria/Frangipani, red berries/grapes, candied lemon-lime citrus, fig, and crystallized ginger intertwine with peat phenols, toasted nuts, plus slight saline and sulfur. Tasting radiates hot peppery spice and citric acid first. Then the complexity of the flavor unfolds as the heat gives way to luxuriant dried fruits in dark syrup. Apricot, pineapple, coconut, and prunes. Next comes a cooling spearmint. Medium-full bodied with good viscosity. Legs are quick but thick, starting off a bit disorderly, but immediately falling in line, descending evenly spaced and in unison. The finish is dry, phenol-forward, almost mentholated. The fruit and syrup sweetness fades to vegetal, somewhere between cavendish and mint. Oak tannins are pronounced, even for its age, suggesting lightly salted mixed nuts. Finally, ginger takes the farewell bow. Aroma: 10 Taste: 10 Body: 9 Finish: 8

The 2024 Feis Ile release from this distillery, their annual festival bottling, is named "Cask Favourites", a combination of two well-liked past releases: the 2019 Triple Wood and 2021's PX cask (an excellent whisky, by the way). Bottled at 52.4% alcohol by volume, it is a 10-year-old spirit, celebrating 30 years of this distillery's special expressions. On the nose, I detect intense notes of stinky wet socks soaked in PX sherry, if such a thing were possible. Fish market; it's like strawberry marmalade with fish. Quite fishy, actually. Very intriguing. On the palate, I get red fruit syrup, marmalade, and of course, the brand's classic note of a fresh can of tennis balls. The aftertaste is all about the brand's magnificent peat at its best. Peat, cultivated land, fish market, Pedro Ximenez sherry. Overall, this was a superb spirit, which feels perfectly balanced between the two components. You can clearly discern that this is the offspring of the Triple wood and the Px Cask. My rating for it is 92 out of 100.

Aroma: Sweet, jammy smoke, oily smoked herring, mineral and wet stones, lemon, seaweed. A stunning aroma. Taste: Full-bodied, oily smoke. Barbecued meat, smoked fish, iodine and sweet wine. The texture is rich and has excellent weight. Dilution brings the sweet notes forward and adds soft complexity. Finish: Medium. Smoke, sweet at first veering to sour lemon and tannin in the aftertaste. The tannic notes diminish with water. This presents a truly satisfying Laphroaig aroma with the signature maritime peat being enhanced by deep ex-bourbon vanilla and sweet sherry scents. The neat aroma is stunning and while water makes it more approachable it loses little from dilution. Water also works wonders with the taste and for my palate this whisky could not be fully appreciated when neat. It is an unfinished symphony without just a dash of water, but a work of creative genius once reduced. Tasted at Laphroaig Distillery, April 18th 2025. “Excellent” 88/100 (4.5 stars)

This is fantastic! Sampling the quarter cask, sherry finish, Lore, elements 1.0, 16y, and cask strength, this is my initial experience with Cairdeas, but it surpasses any Laphroaig I have had by a wide margin. It drinks like a premium whiskey, more intricate and polished, yet its age is apparent with the intense peat, I could spend an hour just with the aroma and taste. A deep flavor profile, but not muted. Notes of sandalwood, dark cherry, seared beef, cinnamon, and even a touch of smoked paprika. The PX influence is quite noticeable; I'm uncertain of the exact duration it spent in that cask, but it was definitely more than a year or two. The bouquet is subtle for a Laphroaig, and the finish is extended and sweet, the smokiness subsides slightly, leaving a sweet and fruity aftertaste. It ranks as my third favorite Islay, trailing only two Octomores. Purchase two bottles; you will consume it considerably faster than you anticipate.

Take two favorites, age them for a full 10 years, and reduce the proof to 52.4%. Sounds like a solid plan? Well, it is. While you can't expect groundbreaking results from a 10-year age statement, the rest of this exceptional spirit is fantastic. Deep red fruits, berries, and clean wood-smoked BBQ pork are dominant. They lift just enough to allow hints of wintergreen mints, rich chocolate, fudge, and some of the finest oak you've ever experienced. Compared to the PX expression, this had more refinement and juicier fruit notes. Compared to the triple wood...this is well-matured (the triple wood next to this tastes YOUNG). In my opinion, this is simply the best special release from this distillery, if not ever, then certainly in close to a decade. Purchase with confidence.