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.
Kilchoman “Machir Bay”
Kilchoman (pronounced Kilhoman) is one of the newest and smallest distilleries in Scotland, opening its doors in 2005. It currently produces a 3 and 5 year single malt, though they plan to release 8 year (2014), 10 year (2016) and 12 year (2018) bottlings. By what we taste from the junior varsity so far, age should make a good thing even better for Kilchoman’s future issues. The offerings are bottled yearly, quantified by flavor profile and maturation. Future releases of the Machir Bay (and others) will be re-released in more mature versions.
Lagavulin Distillers Edition
The Lagavulin Distillers Edition is part of a Diageo series called Distillers Editions. This series takes what might be considered a base whisky from a given distillery, like the Talisker 10 Year or the Oban 14 Year, and gives them further maturation in casks that once held some additional wine or spirit. Historically these have been various kinds of sherries or ports, but could also showcase other choices as the company dictates. The Lagavulin Distillers Edition is aged 16 years and further finished in ex-PX sherry casks