It’s Laphroaig Cairdeas season in the United States of America and accordingly I have for you a review of the Laphroaig Cairdeas. In my helpful way, it’s not a review of the 2024 Laphroaig Cairdeas but of the 2011 release. It’s not my fault: the 2024 Cairdeas is not in Minnesota yet. Or at least it wasn’t in the closest Total Wine when I checked a couple of weeks ago. But I had two unopened bottles of the 2011 Cairdeas on my shelves and was somewhat surprised to discover that I’d not previously reviewed it on the blog, despite having gone through at least one bottle, if not more after launching the blog in early 2013. Anyway, no time like the present. The 2011 Cairdeas, the so-called Ileach Edition—a reference to then-distillery manager and native son of Islay, John Campbell—was the first edition of the Laphroaig Cairdeas to come to the US. It was also the first one I ever tasted and purchased a bottle of. It was right in my wheelhouse: young, bourbon cask Laphroaig. In 2013 the distillery began to go down a path of wine finishes and double maturations for the Cairdeas releases, pausing only in 2015 when they put out the outstanding bourbon cask 200th anniversary release. I’ve liked some of those later releases but I’m looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with this more straightforward expression of the distillery’s classic profile.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2011, Ileach Edition (50.5%; from my own bottle)

Nose: Bright carbolic peat (Dettol) mixed with ashy smoke and some lemon. Some char joins the party as it sits and it picks up some coastal sweetness as well (shells, kelp). A few drops of water push the char and ash back and emphasize the lemon and the sweeter notes.

Palate: Comes in as indicated by the nose and it’s really quite lovely. The char expands as I swallow. Very approachable at full strength; rich texture. More of the bitter char here too on subsequent sips. Water pulls out more of the lemon here too (smoked/preserved). Some cracked pepper too now.

Finish: Long. The smoke expands as it goes; salt emerges at the end. As on the palate with water, with maybe a bit of grapefruit as well.

Comments: Excellent young, bourbon cask Laphroaig. Wish they’d get back to this kind of thing with the Cairdeas releases. I liked it a lot neat and even more with water.

Rating: 89 points (pulled up by water).