Tag: islay single malt scotch

Originally posted to Reddit by draconiclyyours.

My wife got this for me as a gift for Valentine’s Day. I’ve had quite a few different scotches, but this was the first one that made me want to review it. Longtime Scotch drinker, longtime Scotchit lurker, first review!

Laphroaig Càerdias Origin, 2012 – 51.2% ABV

Details: 50/50 of 13-21yo spirit & 7yo QC matured spirit. Price unknown (Gift/MA). Notes: Reviewed neat in a Glencairn at room temperature (~68°F)

• Color: Medium-Light amber
• Nose: Peat, old wood (oak, hints of cedar), honey, charcoal
• Palate: Woodsmoke, vanilla, honey, sweeter peat, hint of kerosene(?), sea air, and… glue? Very earthy, but not unpleasantly so.
• Finish: Short, light, honeyed and inoffensive. Exceptionally smooth, didn’t even notice the fade at first
  The first thing I noticed on popping this bottle open was the hammer blow to the nose. It has a far stronger first impression than any scotch I’ve had thus far, but by no means is it unpleasant. Rich, smokey, with a subtle undercurrent of peat and old wood, it instantly brought back memories of sitting around a campfire, trading stories and jokes at the end of the day.

My initial sip only expanded on this. For having one of the higher ABVs I’ve ever sampled, the Càerdias was so smooth that it could have been use to oil my motorcycle. At no point did I feel the characteristic burn I’ve come to expect from whiskey; I was honestly tempted to pour a bit on the tabletop and light it just to see if it really had alcohol in it.

Tasting expanded the aforementioned aromas exponentially, while opening up the more subtle notes. This is a scotch that deserves to be held and rolled in the mouth for a moment– to anything less would be patently criminal.

The finish was the only point I found waning, even if only by the slightest of margins. The Càerdias finishes so quickly and smoothly that I honestly didn’t notice it fading until I realized that there was no flavor left lingering on my palate- I would have preferred a slightly longer finish, if only to maximize the experience.

While I cannot vouch for the tagline of “the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies”, I can say it is one of, if not the, most richly flavored Scotch that I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.

Overall: 93/100

I’ll be heading down to where my wife got this to see about purchasing another bottle or two to tuck away.