Ending today’s review session with ol’ reliable. 2013 9 year old Caol Ila drawn from a hogsheads and bottled at 59.6% ABV. 306 bottles were produced – looks like you’ll need to scour Europe for one of these now – expect to pay around 90 Euros.
Nose: Lemon, brine, medicinal peak smoke and sweet pastry notes of tart cases, pancakes and griddled waffles. Lightly mineral with rocky beaches and ably supported by lemon gel and vanilla cream. Reduction presents seaweed, clay, cold cream and yoghurt.
Taste: More scalpel sharp than the nose. Ashy smoke, surface cleaner and lemon-tinged antiseptic sit with beach sands and loams, pebbles and seashells. Golden cereals and crumbled biscuits are livened with a squeeze of lemon. Water reveals greases, oils and fats, but retains much of the shape and character of the whisky in terms of its trinity of medicinal smoke, lemon and rockiness.
Finish: Bonkers long. Near endless medicinalness. I was still discerning this 10 minutes after putting my pen down. Sweet and sour lemon tinctures along for the ride.
I’d have reduced this down to 54% to express its wonderful, natural fattiness. However, in doing so I’d have diminished its insanely long finish which really does deserve to be experienced as it comes. Get a bottle – try it at cask strength, try it at 54% - excellence no matter your preference (It’s Caol Ila, so none of us should be in anyway surprised by this).