Single Malt
Scotland
1 Jan 1998
1 Jan 2014
It's not every day you see unpeated Caol Ila, but here we have one that was bottled for Diageo's 2014 Special Releases. This edition was distilled in 1998 and matured in first-fill bourbon casks for 15 years before being bottled at an intense 60.3% ABV.
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
There's instantly more going on here than in last year's unpeated release. Glorious vanilla fudge given depth by some fruity notes. There's a hint of confectioner's sugar and fruity jelly sweets before clean ship deck aromas, a hint of mint and a little clean seashell all surface, all without peat. Very nice indeed.
"Creamy" was the first thing I noted down, as much to do with mouthfeel as taste. More subtle fudge notes now, alongside more citrus and milk chocolate, all held together by that creaminess.
First suggestion of any smoke, intermingled with baking spices.
Recognisable from its peaty version, but personally at least, I wouldn't describe this as 'maritime', even with the 'belonging by the coast' descriptors that have snuck into the notes above. I would describe it as very good though.
