Released in 2004, this bottling was aged for around five years before being finished in a quarter cask for several months, the size of the cask is quite small, thus does not require such a long maturation. This remains a truly great achievement from Laphroaig.
Oily and buttery nose, with toffee, nuttiness, hickory, bicarbonate of soda, rum and raisin ice cream and zest.
Big rush of sweetness, in fact it’s an explosion of sweetness, with fiery chilli heat, TCP, sweet cereals and a touch of cola syrup.
Medium-length, but becomes fruity, with custard and cigar smoke.
The flavour reminded me of cheap artificial smoked hot dogs. Its not bad at first, but this overpowering smokiness builds each sip to the point I found it hard to drink.
Disappointed. Have tried repeatedly to get into the headspace of those who rave, but have failed. Tastes like someone drained the fuel tank of a lawn mower recovered from a hospital fire. Can only conclude that its for those with clapped out taste buds and olfactory senses, and who like to smell like whisky 3 days after walking past the bottle. Could only be described as smooth if you bypassed the mouth and injected it directly.
Tis the only scotch where smelling the glass 30 min after taking your last sip of the dram is as enjoyable as the dram itself.
Alot of flavours
Immediately after Cairdeas is Quarter Cask. So very very good! Highly recommend!
