My whisky readership has shrunk dramatically in recent years (I base this entirely on the lowered level of engagement with my whisky reviews). And so I almost feel I should apologize to the little that remains of that readership for trying their patience in October. So far this month I’ve posted two weeks of reviews of mezcal, one week of reviews of brandy, and one week of reviews of grain whisky (I am assuming here that my whisky readership is really mostly interested in single malt whisky). Please accept as penance this very timely review of a recent release, one that should be widely available all over the United States: the 2023 release of Laphroaig’s annual Cairdeas, bottled for Feis Ile, the Islay whisky festival. The Cairdeas releases have come to the US every year since 2011 (the series itself is only a few years older than that). The price has slowly edged up (it’s now in the mid $80s in Minnesota, before tax) and this year—for the first time—it’s a 700 ml bottle even in the US. Which means it’s a bit more expensive still per pour.

It’s been a while since a Cairdeas release really wowed me. In fact, the only truly great one I’ve had was the 2015 release that commemorated the 200th anniversary of the distillery. Since then it’s been a mixed bag that’s run the gamut from disappointing (2020’s Port & Wine Casks) to decent (2021’s PX) to quite good (2016’s Madeira Cask). Last year’s release saw a return to bourbon cask spirit after a run of various wine finishes (I thought it was decent, no more). But there’s to be no bourbon cask streak: this year’s release is a vatting of second-fill madeira (2/3 of the vatting) and first-fill white port casks (1/3 of the vatting). I’m assuming both the madeira and port components were finishes rather than full term maturation for whatever number of years any of the spirit in this was aged. If you can confirm or know differently, please write in below. I’ve had the bottle open for about two weeks. Here now are my notes.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023, White Port & Madeira (52.3%; from my own bottle)

Nose: A big phenolic blast off the top with iodine and the full medicinal complex. Some cracked pepper as well and just the faintest touch of rubber. On the second sniff there are some sweeter notes (grape juice) and some toasted cereals as well. As it sits the sweeter notes expand and there’s some citrus mixed in as well (lime peel, grapefruit); some vanilla too now. A few drops of water push the phenols back a bit, pull out some ash and amp up the citrus.

Palate: Comes in with char and bitter smoke rather than the straight up phenols on the nose. Quite approachable at full strength; good texture. Lime peel here too in subsequent sips and some of the toasted cereals and vanilla as well. The smoke gets less bitter and more phenolic. Okay, let’s see what water does for it. Ah yes, brighter and ashier here too with water

Finish: Long. The char hangs out for a good while, though it’s not as bitter here. More citrus here too with time. As on the nose and palate with water.

Comments: I like this one quite a bit, especially with water. A good balance of phenols, smoke, citrus and cereals. I’ll be interested to see how it develops with air in the bottle.

Rating: 87 points