Caol Ila 2011 The Old Friends 9 yo

 

 

 

58,4°

Distillery : Caol Ila - Islay 

Saint-Emilion Wine Barrique

Independent Bottling 

By The Old Friends 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm

 

 

 

Let's talk about Michel Reick again, happy owner of a whisky bar in Münster, Germany. He also founded no less than 4 whisky trading companies: The Old Friends, but also Best Dram, Whisky Druid and Scotch Universe. This young Caol Ila has been fully aged for 9 years and two months in a Saint-Emilion cask, a very good wine from the Bordeaux region in France. The mummy cask gave birth to 305 little glass babies, and I hastened to welcome one for my humble comfort. This bottling comes from a series of three from the same distillery, the first aged in a barrique of Pomerol, the second in a Ruby Port cask, this is the third and last, also the oldest.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

For two seconds I get a good whiff of the Caol Ila nose, then it's compotey, fruity, apples, quinces, cinnamon. Iodine and sweet smoke, humus, damp earth, vegetal moss. The winey character emerges and blends very well with the smoke. It's heathery, but also sweet, liquorice, powdered chocolate. At the end, the peat becomes more present, with some exotic fruits, papaya, pineapple, mango. A breath of citrus. Grapefruit, blood orange. Cardamom, dust, beach sand, a pinch of saffron. Velvety, woody palate, liquorice comes through, then spices, thyme, pepper, cumin, cloves. Pinch of salt. Pistachio Loukoum with icing sugar, meringue, genoise. Long, fairly powerful, bushy finish, ferns, cola, crunchy coal, candied pears. Apple candy. Dried bananas, dates.

 

In Short, 

Very interesting, this youngster. The specific Caol Ila iodine is erased by the influence of the cask, on the other hand I found the ashy peat, this full ashtray, this feeling of licking asphalt. All combined with ripe fruits, but without excess sugar. To me, it's the ideal daily dram, moreover the price is very accommodating, but I've been told it was divisive.

Score : 89

                                           To Be Listened Wihle Sipping :

 

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