Review #529 - Laphroaig Cairdeas White Port and Madeira

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

The annual Cairdeas release from Laphroaig saw the use of both Madeira wine and White Port casks in 2023. Laphroaig actually gives us the aging scheme on their website: three quarters of the liquid were aged in Madeira, while the remaining quarter saw the use of that White Port.

White Port, made in the Douro Valley of Portugal, is a variant of Port wine that's made by fewer producers and has a shorter maceration period leading to lighter color; it's generally more acidic or dry in flavor than Ruby Ports. Paired with the Madeira (also a product of Portugal, but this time, from the island of Madeira), which is generally a darker fortified wine, we could expect to see a variety of fruit flavors from the whisky's aging process.

Like the other Cairdeas releases, this 2023 bottling gets an elevated strength: 52.3% ABV, which likely isn't cask strength, but it should still pack strong flavor.

Laphroaig Cairdeas White Port and Madeira

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 100 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 52.3% ABV

Cask Makeup: Madeira and white Port casks

Details: Bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 60% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Very interesting and savory - mushroom risotto, strong phenolic peat, a bit sharp. It's a bit buttery, almost like buttered croissants with a pastry note; warming and slightly peppery, too.

Palate: Musty, a bit dirty, with heavy peat. The flavors are quite rich - buttery, brown sugar, pepper, and some peach adds a fruit note. Stronger malt lies in the background - a nice combination of sweet and smoky flavors.

Finish: Like a smoked Manhattan cocktail - heavy peat, oily, soft bitterness and pepper. Still rich like the palate, and we get some vanilla, sweet mango, and pineapple in the aftertaste, along with more of the malt from the end of the palate.

Final Note: A very good release from the Cairdeas series, but not quite exceptional. We were a little surprised not to get stronger red fruits in our tasting, but we did enjoy the lighter fruits like mango and pineapple in the finish. The peat is quite strong here - fully intact, possibly hinting at the inclusion of some casks that weren't too old. This bottle did have a good musty, dirty dimension that we don't always find on Laphroaig, too.

Value for the Cairdeas series is alright - they are more expensive than many of the distillery's other core releases, but they can offer some more unique flavors. We do think that this release was worth its price.

Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 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: 6.68

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.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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