Caol Ila 15 Year 2000 (2016 Special Release)

Strong, complex, sweet, caramel. Chocolate, spicy, hot, and nice. A very good whisky. Heats up in your mouth

Honeyed fruit, salt, warmth. Needs to open with some water

Another rare find from Caol Ila. Last time I did the 2017 18-year old release; now I've got this 15 year from 2016. Like the 18, this is unpeated and bottled at cask strength. At 61.5%, this is sure to be a heavy hitter. Nose: Malty and buttery. Apple, pear, apricot, and floral notes. Some lime and orange citrus. Vanilla and caramel. Sugar cookie. Almond, walnut, and a nice dose of oak. No ethanol; the only tell of the high ABV is a few prickly baking spice notes. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. Palate: More of the buttery and malty notes. Cashew, tossted almond, and walnut. Macadamia as well. Cola and plum. Orange and lime reappear from the nose. Vanilla and caramel. Chinese pear. Coconut. Ginger snaps and sugar cookie. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, lime, and orange. Cola and plum. Ginger snaps. Fruit notes turn into waves of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and oak. Long as they come. Solid whisky. It has many of the characteristics I traditionally find in unpeated cask strength Scotches--Islay or otherwise. This one especially shines on the finish, which is long and layered. I do prefer the depth I find in the 18. At $140, this cost $40 more than the 18. Both bottles were purchased several years after they were released, so I think I'm lucky to have found either. I'm going to look to much into the prices. Bottom line is that this is a solid whiskey. 4.25/5. Three months later, I am adding cola, plum, and white grape to the nose. This one just pops more than before on the nose, palate, and finish. It is remarkably tame considering the gargantuan ABV,—and when I say tame, I mean refined, not subdued. Bumped up from 4.25 to 4.5.