Time for my triennial review of Caol Ila's core 12 year expression. As usual, it's 43% ABV, chill filtered, and colored. A shame, that. But what can you expect from a Diageo blending whisky where 95% of the liquid gets tankered to the mainland for blending? Craft presentation on the remaining 5%? I don't think so.
Nose: In the past I found a vibrant nuttiness... that I only find hints of, this time around. Instead, I find a deep herbal / forest note with lots of green and moss and funky vegetal notes (specifically: celery). Also, I occasionally get white grapes, sultanas. Underneath that, and with a little water, is malt and vanilla and vague nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: Thinner than you might expect, but oily enough to be interesting.
Palate: Here is where the peanuts and cashews are hiding, but even then it's not as strong as my memory thought. Chocolate bread. Vanilla. Peanuts and cashews - saline nuttiness. No fruit - interesting! I even went looking for a citric note, but no - nothing.
Finish: Dry tea, faint wood, mint or menthold, and lingering peat.
Verdict: Still a dark horse in the Islay world. Most lovers of peated whisky center around Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich... anything BUT Caol Ila. I'm interested in an independent bottling of this stuff, since I have very little faith in the official presentation. But it IS interesting - the deep, deep herbal note of the nose, followed by the exceptionally dry palate absent of all fruit, and the nice tea note on the finish... intriguing stuff. I wish Diageo would pay a little more attention to the peated Caol Ila liquid than the unpeated blend fodder.
No comments:
Post a Comment