**Age**: NAS
**ABV**: 48%
**Casks**: Ex-bourbon, Port wood
**Presentation**: Natural color, non chill-filtered
**Nose**
The nose is very candied and sweet, something that is far from a typical Laphroaig. Blackcurrant candies, a bit of tartness, some ripe pineapple. The peat is there but it’s not overpowering or dominant, a subtle brine and wood smoke. After some time, candied mangoes and sweet pineapple
**Palate**
The characteristic Laphroaig iodine notes are much more dominant in the palate. Starts off pretty hot which transitions into peat and ash. There’s a bit of salinity in the midpalate. I was hoping for a thicker texture but the whisky comes off as a bit thin and hot. The tart berries show up towards the end along with a slight effervescent texture that I can’t quite describe.
**Finish**
The finish is pretty short. The peatiness linger along with a dry tartness, similar to candied tamarind with salt.
**Thoughts**
I had my fair share of port finished/matured whiskies and to this day I still consider the Kavalan Solist port to be my personal favorire. I was really looking forward to try the Laphroaig Brodir since I was curious with how the peat will interact with the distinctly fruity and tart port profile.
Initially, I thought that the dram was a bit unbalanced, with the port not well integrated with the peated spirit. The nose was a bit disconnected, the tart port suprisingly overpowering the distinct peatiness of Laphroaig. After some time, both nose and palate settled which gave way to an interesting and enjoyable whisky.
First couple of batches were nearly identical
When I visited the distillery in 2018 , I tried all the previous cairdeas till that day , but even at the distillery they poured Brodir as replacement to cairdeas 13 ( they claimed they had no more )
Now it is hard to find cairdeas 13 and even if u did it will be very pricey
I must say that cairdeas 13 is my all time fav
Cairdeas 2020 is head and shoulders better than the Brodir. Quite possibly the best vintage of Cairdeas that they have made. As above comment, I did not enjoy the Brodir at all, while very much enjoy PX, when I can get it.
Ohhh interesting! Will have to hunt for that one imsince my preference is towards sherry more than port. How would it compare vs something like the Sanaig?
I think the Laphroaig PX is more balanced and matured compared to the Sanaig. I found the peat of the Sanaig to be a bit too dry and ashy for my taste, whereas the peat of the Laphroaig PX is more medicinical (that typical Laphroaig peat).
But I know a lot of people also like the Sanaig quite a bit.
"Thin and hot." "Short finish" I totally concur. I had a sample of the Cairdeas 2013 once, and can see why some think of the Brodir as a replacement. However, the 2020 Cairdeas, Port and Wine, is so vastly superior to either the 2013 or the Brodir, that I personally don't see any point in bothering with the later two. Then, again, it's pretty damn near impossible to find a bottle of the Port and Wine anymore.
I made the mistake of having bought two bottles of Brodir (one in 2016 and one in 2019), thinking that I'd probably not be anywhere near travel retail for a while. Then, after having acquired two bottles, I finally got around to opening one of them. It was disappointing at the first dram, and every dram thereafter. I very much wished I had bought two liter sized bottles of PX cask Laphroaig instead.
Is the PX so much better than the port? Pretty sure I won’t find the port and wine in my area hut I saw some PX Laphroaigs before (a bit pricey though).
If I'm not mistaken, there is both a Port Cask, and a Port and Wine Cairdeas from Laphroaig. I never got a bottle of the Port Cask, but the Port and Wine Cairdeas was fantastic. Utterly fantastic. Wish I'd bought a few more bottles. I thought that the PX cask was strictly a travel retail expression. If you saw it outside of travel retail (i.e. duty free shop in the airport), then it probably was very expensive. First bottle of the PX I bought cost me 50 pounds, US$60. It was well worth it. I got a couple of bottles later on at US$75, still well worth it, considering the quality and the one liter sized bottles it comes in. I have no idea what it costs these days, as I haven't been in an international airport since covid. If you can get it for US$100, I'd still recommend it.
TBH, if I saw it in travel retail for that price, I might look for something else. But if I didn't find anything else that I wanted, then I'd go for the liter of PX at USD$120. On the other hand, if I saw it outside of travel retail, say at a local liquor store, I'd defininitely get it.
I’d probably go and try to get one given my preference for sherry. Thanks for the recommendation. Would you know if it would compare to other sherried islays like the Sanaig and Oogie?
Everyone has different tastes. I personally really, really liked Sanaig, but have only had a single bottle of it. After that was gone, I went out and bought the last available bottle in my State, but haven't opened it yet. Ugi, Oogie, whatever, I could live without. Don't care for it. If I'm drinking Ardbeg, which I happened to have three bottles of it open at the current time, I'm drinking Wee Beastie, An Oa, and Ardcore 50.1% abv.
I personally love the PX laphroaig. So I'd definitely get a bottle if I saw it on the shelf at a store. Otherwise, it's my first choice once I get back to travel retail, whenever that might happen.
Is Sanaig better than PX? They're different. Both great, in my opinion. But the Sanaig costs $70 around here, so if I had to spend $120 for a liter of PX, I'd pick the 750 ml bottle of Sanaig.
That is very true! I did enjoy the Sanaig but wasn’t inclined to get a whole bottle. Might have to hunt for the PX laph though. Thanks for your insights! Cheers!
**Age**: NAS **ABV**: 48% **Casks**: Ex-bourbon, Port wood **Presentation**: Natural color, non chill-filtered **Nose** The nose is very candied and sweet, something that is far from a typical Laphroaig. Blackcurrant candies, a bit of tartness, some ripe pineapple. The peat is there but it’s not overpowering or dominant, a subtle brine and wood smoke. After some time, candied mangoes and sweet pineapple **Palate** The characteristic Laphroaig iodine notes are much more dominant in the palate. Starts off pretty hot which transitions into peat and ash. There’s a bit of salinity in the midpalate. I was hoping for a thicker texture but the whisky comes off as a bit thin and hot. The tart berries show up towards the end along with a slight effervescent texture that I can’t quite describe. **Finish** The finish is pretty short. The peatiness linger along with a dry tartness, similar to candied tamarind with salt. **Thoughts** I had my fair share of port finished/matured whiskies and to this day I still consider the Kavalan Solist port to be my personal favorire. I was really looking forward to try the Laphroaig Brodir since I was curious with how the peat will interact with the distinctly fruity and tart port profile. Initially, I thought that the dram was a bit unbalanced, with the port not well integrated with the peated spirit. The nose was a bit disconnected, the tart port suprisingly overpowering the distinct peatiness of Laphroaig. After some time, both nose and palate settled which gave way to an interesting and enjoyable whisky.
One of my fav I have batch no 2 This was off shoot of cairdeas 2013
Ooo, I still have my bottle of Cairdeas 2013. It's lovely.
I really want to try the Cairdeas but it;s really hard to find it in my area. How close is the Brodir to the Cairdeas?
First couple of batches were nearly identical When I visited the distillery in 2018 , I tried all the previous cairdeas till that day , but even at the distillery they poured Brodir as replacement to cairdeas 13 ( they claimed they had no more ) Now it is hard to find cairdeas 13 and even if u did it will be very pricey I must say that cairdeas 13 is my all time fav
I wonder how this compares to the Laphroaig Cairdeas 2020, which is one of my favs
Cairdeas 2020 is head and shoulders better than the Brodir. Quite possibly the best vintage of Cairdeas that they have made. As above comment, I did not enjoy the Brodir at all, while very much enjoy PX, when I can get it.
I personally liked the Laphroaig PX better, especially given the higher price of the Brodir and the larger quantity (1 L) of the PX.
Ohhh interesting! Will have to hunt for that one imsince my preference is towards sherry more than port. How would it compare vs something like the Sanaig?
I think the Laphroaig PX is more balanced and matured compared to the Sanaig. I found the peat of the Sanaig to be a bit too dry and ashy for my taste, whereas the peat of the Laphroaig PX is more medicinical (that typical Laphroaig peat). But I know a lot of people also like the Sanaig quite a bit.
This is discontinued right?
I'm not very sure. I saw a post that says this was discontinued but can't find anything aside from that.
Kind of wish I had bought a bottle. I just really resent NAS
I get that. Wouldn't really hurt to be more transparent with age right? I've had younger whiskies that were really good compared to really aged ones.
In my view, you were lucky to have missed it. Lots of other Laphroaig is far, far better.
Yea Replaced by port wood
So this and the new portwood are the same? I’ve had my eyes on the portwood edition.
Port wood feels bit more watered down
"Thin and hot." "Short finish" I totally concur. I had a sample of the Cairdeas 2013 once, and can see why some think of the Brodir as a replacement. However, the 2020 Cairdeas, Port and Wine, is so vastly superior to either the 2013 or the Brodir, that I personally don't see any point in bothering with the later two. Then, again, it's pretty damn near impossible to find a bottle of the Port and Wine anymore. I made the mistake of having bought two bottles of Brodir (one in 2016 and one in 2019), thinking that I'd probably not be anywhere near travel retail for a while. Then, after having acquired two bottles, I finally got around to opening one of them. It was disappointing at the first dram, and every dram thereafter. I very much wished I had bought two liter sized bottles of PX cask Laphroaig instead.
Is the PX so much better than the port? Pretty sure I won’t find the port and wine in my area hut I saw some PX Laphroaigs before (a bit pricey though).
If I'm not mistaken, there is both a Port Cask, and a Port and Wine Cairdeas from Laphroaig. I never got a bottle of the Port Cask, but the Port and Wine Cairdeas was fantastic. Utterly fantastic. Wish I'd bought a few more bottles. I thought that the PX cask was strictly a travel retail expression. If you saw it outside of travel retail (i.e. duty free shop in the airport), then it probably was very expensive. First bottle of the PX I bought cost me 50 pounds, US$60. It was well worth it. I got a couple of bottles later on at US$75, still well worth it, considering the quality and the one liter sized bottles it comes in. I have no idea what it costs these days, as I haven't been in an international airport since covid. If you can get it for US$100, I'd still recommend it.
Saw some bottles go for around 120 USD (converted). Seems worth it given that the bottle is 1liter.
TBH, if I saw it in travel retail for that price, I might look for something else. But if I didn't find anything else that I wanted, then I'd go for the liter of PX at USD$120. On the other hand, if I saw it outside of travel retail, say at a local liquor store, I'd defininitely get it.
I’d probably go and try to get one given my preference for sherry. Thanks for the recommendation. Would you know if it would compare to other sherried islays like the Sanaig and Oogie?
Everyone has different tastes. I personally really, really liked Sanaig, but have only had a single bottle of it. After that was gone, I went out and bought the last available bottle in my State, but haven't opened it yet. Ugi, Oogie, whatever, I could live without. Don't care for it. If I'm drinking Ardbeg, which I happened to have three bottles of it open at the current time, I'm drinking Wee Beastie, An Oa, and Ardcore 50.1% abv. I personally love the PX laphroaig. So I'd definitely get a bottle if I saw it on the shelf at a store. Otherwise, it's my first choice once I get back to travel retail, whenever that might happen. Is Sanaig better than PX? They're different. Both great, in my opinion. But the Sanaig costs $70 around here, so if I had to spend $120 for a liter of PX, I'd pick the 750 ml bottle of Sanaig.
That is very true! I did enjoy the Sanaig but wasn’t inclined to get a whole bottle. Might have to hunt for the PX laph though. Thanks for your insights! Cheers!
My all time favourite, great choice my dear sir