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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Laphroaig Cask Strength and Cairdeas


It's been a while since I sampled any Laphroaigs so I thought I would dip into their standard offerings.

Laphroaig 10 year old Cask Strength, Batch 004, 58.6% ($60)

I've been a fan of the 10 year old cask strength since it first came out, but having not tried it in a few years, I was interested to see how it has held up.  

The nose is peaty and medicinal with a sweet malt note in the background.  The palate starts off sweet with a nice spiciness (bay leaves and ginger) and some pepper, and the finish has Black pepper on the palate and peat on the nose.

I'm happy to report that this is still a very solid malt at a very decent price.  It's got everything you would want from a Laphroaig with peat, spice and those medicinal notes.

Laphroiag Cairdeas, 2012 Release, 51.2% ($65)

The 2012 release combines some of the spirit used in the first Cairdeas with quarter cask matured whiskey.  This stuff is medicinal and peaty through and through with some coastal elements coming through on the finish.  This is textbook Laphroaig.

Th Cairdeas is nice, but given the similarity in price, I would opt for the cask strength if I had to choose between the two. 


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6 comments:

  1. JustinSeptember 5, 2013 at 12:20 PM

    Nice timing on this review Sku. I normally grab the quarter cask when I buy Laphroaig but a week or so ago I thought I'd try the cask strength. I look foreword to cracking it open the next time it rains here in OK.

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  2. FlorinSeptember 5, 2013 at 3:59 PM

    It's good timing also because Batch 005 is out - but where saw it was closer to $80 than to $60.

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  3. BMcSeptember 6, 2013 at 9:38 AM

    I'm way too distracted by the sweetness of the Laph cask strength to enjoy it that much. They trumpet their use of Makers Mark barrels, but I just can't stand that part of the profile.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2013 at 9:11 PM

    @Justin: so you're probably enjoying some right about now?!!

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  5. EmmaOctober 8, 2013 at 8:27 AM

    Do you know where I can buy the 005 batch in Los Angeles. Preferably as close to Hollywood as possible. I don't know any stores and I want to buy it for a friend who would love it.

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  6. skuOctober 8, 2013 at 8:59 AM

    Emma, your best bet would definitely be K&L on Vine south of Sunset. If they don't have it, I would check BevMo. There's one on Santa Monica and La Brea in the Target shopping center.

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