Caol Ila 10 connoisseur's choice (Gordon & macphail)

Disappointing. I expected more of EVERYTHING. Drab. Too expensive for what it is. Buy the Caol Ila 12. So much better UPDATE: let it sit for several months and tried again. Vast improvement. Sometimes you gotta let it sit. Add a star!

My third and final selection from my recent visit to the Flatiron Room in NYC. The Flatiron Room is well organized. Unike some whiskey bars I've visited, the requested bottle is always located, even when the staff have to climb ladders and crawl through the eves. But in this case, it took about 10 minutes and some consultation before our server found the bottle. "This one isn't frequently ordered," he said. For those who do order this whisky, an interesting and enjoyable dram awaits. Interesting, because I would not not have guessed it was Caol Ila had I been served it blind. While it's not radically different, the meaty, barbeque peat note that I find to be the signature of the 12 and 18 is not center stage. There's plenty of peat - more than the 12 or 18 - but it's a stronger smokier peat reminiscent of Lagavulin. Enjoyable, because a complex array of flavors accompany the peat, including prominent vanilla, some lemon custard, apple and earthiness. Notwithstanding the strength if the peat, I found it to be a significantly brighter version of Caol Ila. I haven't explored independent Scotch bottlers in depth, but this dram provides a compelling case for doing so. It is both a very nice whisky and a significant variation from it's well known siblings.

Medicines, peat, seaweed