Islay

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021 Pedro Ximénez

The Cairdeas line under Laphroaig was created to celebrate the Friends of Laphroaig, with the word being Gaelic for friendship. The Friends of Laphroaig is similar in some ways to other scotch loyalty clubs (e.g. the Ardbeg Committee) but is a little unique in that there are actually membership levels. Those levels are gained by inputting points gained by purchasing – what else? – bottles of Laphroaig and other distillery products. The three levels of membership are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Peat, Smoke and Oak. The Cairdeas 2021 is a cask strength scotch that began maturation in standard ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to smaller quarter casks for more wood influence and then finished in ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead casks.

By Adam | February 5, 2024 | Islay | No Comments |

Lagavulin is well established in the scotch world and thus to some may have little need in the way of advertising. But it so happened during the early 2010s that popular American ensemble comedy Parks and Recreation contained a character who held an abiding love for the distillery. Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman, references and consumes the drink throughout the show and at one point in later seasons visits and invests in the distillery. Nick Offerman does in fact hold Lagavulin dear and so the two went into partnership together and released the first Offerman Edition in 2019. The first edition was a straight 11 year scotch and the second edition in 2021 was finished in Guinness casks. This third Offerman Edition uses American red wine and European oak casks for the entire maturation that have been shaved down and heavily re-charred.

By Adam | December 20, 2023 | Islay | No Comments |

Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881 and was for its first several decades only received supplies by sea. Interestingly, the village of Bunnahabhain itself was founded to house the workers for the distillery, making the two even more intertwined than is often the case. Word began to spread after an actual road was put in during the early 1960s and production expanded. The name of the distillery in Gaelic means “Mouth of the River”. In 2003 the distillery was purchased by Burn Stewart, which is currently folded under Heineken Beverages. The Bunnahabhain Toiteach breaks a little from tradition in being lightly peated, as the distillery is generally more known for making unpeated whisky. Toiteach is pronounced “toch tach” and means “smoky” in Gaelic. It has since been replaced by the Toiteach A Dhà but you can still find the original floating around in stores on occasion.

By Adam | November 30, 2023 | Islay | No Comments |