Caol Ila 12 Year

Blind tasting--higher salt/peat and less sweet than ardbeg

Nose: Twiggy smoke, Islay peat, mist/fog (yep), background orchard fruits. Ralfy was right; Caol Ila is very sniffable and is "like an orchard on a cold day." A really beautiful nose. Palate: Disappointingly watery mouthfeel, but big flavor. Twiggy peat with heaps and heaps of black pepper, juicy pears and mild green apple, smoke, and salt at the tail end that is sometimes overbearing. Overall delightful taste. Finish: Pleasant, lingering warmth with peat smoke wafting gently by. Black pepper and SALT SALT SALT! Final Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I wanted to like it more. It's unique in that it's got one foot in speyside and the other on Islay, and it truly is delightfully warming and pleasant. However, it lacks a certain clout due to the watery mouthfeel and can be cloyingly salty at times. I imagine the cask strength would be a real stunner though.