A youthful Caol Ila that was distilled on 1st June 2010 and spent its entire 7 years within a refill ex-Bourbon hogshead. One of 280 bottles. Peated flavour profile.
Nose: Coastal, oily and with some sharp citrus. To begin, we’re provided with some dusty, ashy smoke that’s sweet, but certainly of the coastal peat variety. The dustiness gives way to an almost oily nature which is interesting to detect on the nose rather than on the palate. Tart ripe apples, cinnamon coated apples and sharp lemon peels give this both a youthful, but a refreshing feel. There’s more than a lick of salt here, and a firm coastal breeze. Water heightens the salinity further and the maritime air is almost filled with ozone now. It also brings out some of the cask influence in the form of ginger.
Taste: Sharp pleasant citrus tang. Toffee apples and brown sugars are tempered by really zesty lemon and lime and become sweet but refreshing. The smoke is dusty still and brings with it some charred wood and burnt rubber. Again, its half medicinal, half fireside. No discernible positive changes with the addition of water.
Finish: Medium and displaying the character of the dying embers of a beachside fire. Smoke and salts merging together nicely.
People often forget the peating levels of Caol Ila, as their official bottlings down play the smoke compared to some of their Islay neighbours. This is not the case with younger single cask Caol Ila however, and this bottling is a great example of a reasonably peaty, but still lively and fun whisky. Dusty, ashy and quite seaside.