Review #503 - Laphroaig Cairdeas Warehouse 1

In 2022, Laphroaig's annual Cairdeas series saw the release of an edition titled 'Warehouse 1,' in reference to the location of maturation for the selected casks. This is Laphroaig's most famous warehouse, situated very close to the sea water on the coast of Islay.

The selected casks were all ex-bourbon casks, specifically from the Maker's Mark distillery. All of the casks were of the first fill variety, as well, meaning that the wood should have a greater impact, though we don't know the age of the whisky in the bottle.

Laphroaig Cairdeas Warehouse 1

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 99 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 52.2% ABV

Cask Makeup: First fill Maker's Mark ex-bourbon casks

Details: Bottled 2022

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 10 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Strong vanilla and cream at the front, followed by strong peat - woody peat, charcoal. There's some sea salt and seaweed, as well as an interesting balsamic vinegar scent; oak is mild, but drying. Later, we get slate, tart lemon fruit, lemon curd, and creme brulee.

Palate: A nice mixture of sweet, smoky, and dry flavors. Vanilla, icing sugar, custard, and creme brulee add a baking side, while charred wood, strong peat, and charcoal add a powerful smoky dimension. There's drying oak, hay, and a soft hot pepper note, as well; with a lot of time in the glass, tropical fruits of papaya and mango appear. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.

Finish: Warming but nicely mellowed - not too spirity, with some sweeter oak notes and vanilla. Peat smokiness is still relatively strong to start, but it evens out and leaves some wood smoke; dry grass, freshly baked bread, and tart peach linger in the aftertaste.

Final Note: A very solid higher-strength Laphroaig, if a little unexceptional. We would put this roughly on par with several batches of the 10 year cask strength - very solid ex-bourbon cask flavors, and while this felt a little more nicely integrated and matured than the 10 CS, it also lacked a little bit of the punch those other bottles bring. Still, we enjoyed the strong peat and baking notes, and if you give this a lot of time to open up, you can find some subtle tropical fruit notes as well, which we always love.

Value is okay; these Cairdeas bottles aren't cheap, but they do offer a nice way to taste Laphroaig with different finishing casks without paying a huge sum on the secondary market for hard-to-find bottles from independent bottlers.

Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.22

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.