Tastings at Ace Spirits
It’s no secret to our close followers and friends that Scotchology has long been a fan of Ace Spirits, a small liquor store on the west side of the Twin Cities. We won’t take the space here to gush about them, suffice it to say they are more than worth a visit if you ever find yourself within the metro area. Not only do the carry the largest whisky selection we’ve seen here in Minnesota, they also use their connections in the industry to have tastings on a fairly regular basis (don’t worry, they also have other spirits, a few wines, and a respectable craft beer pantheon). We had the good fortune to attend two tastings within the same fortnight there, both different and unique.
Laphroaig Triple Wood
Laphroaig is an institution on Islay. As such, they’ve had time to experiment. Some whiskys get additional flavoring from being partially or wholly aged in a variety of barrels (ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-etc.). The folks at Laphroaig have doubled, nay, tripled down on that area of the distillation process with this Triple Wood offering. The first is ex-bourbon American oak, the second is quarter casks (smaller cask means more of the whisky is in contact with the wood and thus takes on more flavoring), and the third is ex-Oloroso sherry European oak.
Laphroaig “Cairdeas” Port Wood Edition
The”Cairdeas” (meaning friendship in Gaelic) is a special product from Laphroaig that is unique to each bottling, and meant as a token of thanks by the distillery to its many supporters. And, let’s be honest, another good way to sell the whisky and make some money. It is also a No Age Statement (NAS) whisky, which allows the distillery to give a broad variation in taste each year. The bottle for this review was the 2013 release, the Port Wood Edition.