About Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 Edition Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

In 1815, Donald and Alexander Johnston began leasing nearly 1,000 acres of land on the island of Islay. Their intent was to use the land in order to raise and sell cattle and as a result, they began growing barley to be used as feed for their livestock. Following a particularly bountiful harvest, the brothers distilled the excess grains they had grown into whisky, and sold it to the inhabitants of the island. Soon thereafter, the brothers found it more profitable to distill whisky rather than raise cattle, and Laphroaig (pronounced La-froyg) Distillery was born.

For over a century, the distillery would remain in the hands of one of Johnston’s descendants. In 1954, however, Ian Hunter passed away childless and bequeathed the distillery to Bessie Williamson, a secretary that had been working at the distillery for two decades. Hunter was incredibly protective of the distillery — while he slowly revealed its secrets to Williamson after she had earned his trust, Hunter prevented a cooper who was employed at the distillery from publishing his memoirs because they described the workings of the distillery in too great a detail.

Laphroaig Single Malt Whisky is one of the most flavorful and intense whiskies made anywhere in the world. During Prohibition, it was one of the few whiskies still legally imported into the United States, as it was considered a medicinal spirit. Laphroaig Single Malt is made from the finest Scottish barley, which is then malted at the distillery and smoked over a peat flame. Unlike other distilleries which source peat from the Scottish mainland, the peat used to smoke Laphroaig barley is made from the heather, mosses and lichens of Islay and adds a distinct iodine-like flavor to the whisky. After the barley has been malted and peated, it is fermented before being twice-distilled through Laphroaig’s copper-pot stills. The unique stills have an usually flat base and flat surfaces, which contributes to the overall intensity of the whisky.

Each year, for the Feis de Isle (an annual festival hosted by the Islay distilleries), Laphroaig releases a new, limited edition of its Cairdeas Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Meaning “friendship” in old Gaelic, the 2015 Cairdeas is an extra-special bottling, as it commemorates the distillery’s 200th anniversary. Crafted from floor-malted barley and distilled through Laphroaig’s smallest stills, Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is then aged in first-fill bourbon barrels in the distillery’s Warehouse #1 by the sea.

As a result, the whisky has a burnt straw gold color, along with a powerful nose filled with charcoal smoke, citrus fruits, grapes and freshly-cut wood. Notes of creamy milk chocolate, burnt vanilla, caramel and peat fill the palate, and lead to a complex finish accented by worn oak, tannins, salty air and tropical fruits.

We have only a handful of bottles of Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 — pick one up today!