Laphroaig Cairdeas White Port & Madeira Scotch Whisky 2023
52.3% ABV (104.6 proof) | 750mL | No age statement | Islay Single Malt — Laphroaig Càirdeas 2023 "White Port & Madeira Casks" is the annual Friends of Laphroaig release for Fèis Ìle, the distillery's festival-week limited edition — and the first Càirdeas created by master distiller Barry MacAffer. Double-matured with three quarters of the whisky aged in second-fill Madeira casks and the final quarter finished in first-fill Port casks (the majority white port), it plays Laphroaig's signature peat against wine-cask sweetness. Bottled at a fixed strength of 52.3%, it was sold exclusively to Friends of Laphroaig at launch.
Càirdeas — Gaelic for "friendship" — has been the annual Scotch whisky love letter from Laphroaig to its community since 2008. The 2023 edition draws on the Madeira-and-port experiments of recent years: the second-fill Madeira casks release smoky, spicy, sweet-fruit flavors, while the first-fill white port adds crisp fruit and deep woodiness. A one-time 2023 release, not a permanent expression — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Tasting notes
Laphroaig's own notes: color — soft burnished gold; nose — cinnamon, freshly ground ginger, crisp green apple with toasted peaches, charred orange peel, caramelized sugar, and a whisper of bonfire embers; palate — honey sweetness with juicy citrus, hazelnut, tannic oak, dark chocolate, and slightly bitter caramel, leading to earthy iodine-rich smoke; finish — sweet and smooth with lingering earthy peat, creosote phenolics, and a slight sea-salt sensation.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- Fèis Ìle 2023 limited edition — the annual Friends of Laphroaig release; never repeated
- White Port & Madeira cask maturation — 3/4 second-fill Madeira, 1/4 first-fill port (majority white port)
- Bottled at 52.3% — first Càirdeas by master distiller Barry MacAffer
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat in a tulip glass to take in the port-and-peat interplay at 52.3%. A splash of water opens the fruit if the smoke runs hot for you.
Frequently asked questions
What does Càirdeas mean?
Càirdeas is Gaelic for "friendship." It is Laphroaig's annual release for Fèis Ìle, the Islay festival of music and malt, originally sold to members of the Friends of Laphroaig community.
Is the 2023 Cairdeas still available?
It was a limited 2023 release, so stocks are finite — when Del Mesa Liquor's allocation sells through, it won't be made again.
What casks were used?
Three quarters matured in second-fill Madeira casks, the final quarter finished in first-fill Port casks (the majority of those white port).