58,8°
Distillery : Caol Ila - Islay
Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Independent Bottling
By Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2023
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 35 ppm
This is already the 423rd bottling of Caol Ila by Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Given that it has been in existence for 40 years, it's safe to assume that the trading company releases almost one Caol Ila a month on average, which isn't bad. This one was aged in a simple Refill Bourbon Hogshead, but I suspect that some Sherry staves were nailed to the cask. 280 bottles were put for sale, and quickly disappeared.
Let's Taste It :
First of all, thick, razor-sharp smoke, a full ashtray that's still hot. You're inside the chimney of a steam locomotive, massive fragments of lignite, glowing coals, but behind that traces of grassiness, dark chocolate, soft caramel, and a mineral character, sandstone, slate, quartz. Fermented fruits. On the palate, burnt toffee, gingerbread, marzipan, on a layer of seaweed-filled peat. Broad spices, nutmeg, clove, ginger. Quite a long, explosive finish, charcoal, earthy, damp bark, black berries.
In Short,
On a blind test, I hesitated to identify it as Caol Ila, as there was none of the iodine characteristic of the distillery. It's maritime, though, with seaweed and kelp, but nothing more. All the other hallmarks of the distillery are present. That's why I wonder if there weren't a few Sherry staves in the Bourbon Hogshead, because Caol Ila in Sherry casks is always much less iodised. Or maybe it was me, we were at the end of the tasting, and it's possible that I didn't appreciate all the nuances of the juice. In any case, it's a very good product, quite extreme, with a devastating smoke and a very deep finish. What's more, the price was quite affordable. No wonder it sold out so quickly.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Seeping :
Swallow the Moon - Dark Paths of the Soul
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