Caol Ila 15 Year Unpeated Style (2014 Special Release)
Single Malt
Caol Ila // Islay, Scotland
RARE
-
LeeEvolved
Reviewed March 24, 2017 (edited August 5, 2017)As I drink my way through the last few samples from my friends on the Scotland Distillery Tour, I decided to take a break and open a rarer bottle of something cask strength. Digging through the bar I found this 2014 bottling from Caol Ila. Once a year they distill malt and bottle it at cask strength just to give connoisseurs a peak at something they don't normally make; unpeated whisky. This offering was originally distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2014, making it a well-aged 15 years old. It comes in at a whopping 60.4% ABV and is non-chill filtered. It's also quite pricey- I believe I paid around $160 for this bottle back in early 2016. In the tasting glass it's a beautiful, straw yellow and surprisingly oily. Lots of long legs slide around the Glencairn when you give it a hearty spin. The nose is fairly light with lots of cereal and bread notes with a wisp of herbal flowers. The oak and heat aren't all that present- even after 30min in the glass. The palate is extremely hot. There's not much to detect because it's just so damn hot. I think I get almonds and the herbal notes from the nose and even a bit of saltiness after finishing the dram. The burn from the ABV and first fill, bourbon casks really hangs around will set your tongue ablaze until you quench it with some water. To say there's a long, hot finish is quite the understatement here. Burn so good. Before finishing the entire dram I had to add water to see if there's anything else hidden in there. I gotta say that there isn't much else to it- it finishes a tiny bit sweeter, but the overall flavor profile isn't affected much at all. Overall, it's a big boy dram that doesn't necessarily get past being one dimensional and hot as Hades. It's not your typical Caol Ila and that leaves me somewhat disappointed even though I knew going in there wouldn't be any smoke or peat. I'd stick with what Caol Ila does best before buying this yearly special release again. Cheers.
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