This tenth limited release of the unpeated Caol Ila, and the oldest so far released, is from a batch made once a year for blending in the “Highland Style.” Unusually rounded, a little less ‘full on’ than previous expressions, it still has all their fruity sharpness, hints of smoke and the sea, grainy cereals and bittersweet tannins.
Islay.
Bright gold in sunlight. Good beading.
Reserved; at first fruity, with zesty orange or mandarin, then slowly becoming sweeter and denser – with a balancing, lightly smoky and fresh-clean aroma too.
Medium to rich.
Intense, starting with sweet mixed fruit, chocolate and ginger, then distinctly salty, growing warm and slightly bitter. Waxy and coating, later adding a strong, clean, herbal dryness.
Medium to long, warming and coating, with dark chocolate, an appetising bitter-sweetness, distant light smoke and a touch of salt. With water, gently comforting.
Make: Caol IlaTM
Age: 17 Years Old
Strength: 55.9% ABV
Place of Origin: Port Askaig
Region: Coastal Islay
Reserved; at first fruity, with zesty orange or mandarin, then slowly becoming sweeter and denser, with malt and hard toffee, and fresh, creamy vanilla. There’s a balancing, lightly smoky and fresh-clean aroma too, backed by drier notes of newsprint and grainy cereal. Later, hints of moss, or crusty sourdough bread. A dash of water unusually produces a prickly nose-feel and makes the aromas more accessible, as fruitcake, wood smoke and caramel, salt on a sea breeze, and sweet honey and lemon.
Intense, starting with sweet mixed fruit, chocolate and ginger, then distinctly salty, growing warm and slightly bitter. Waxy and coating, later adding a strong, clean, herbal dryness. With water the taste is softer yet somehow more pronounced: still salty, but with a mineral edge, and now peppery across the tongue. Quietly clean and leathery with pleasantly smooth tannins.