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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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July 2, 2019 |
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That’s the thing with Caol Ila when you’re a humble ‘whisky blogger’, especially with baby Caol Ilas, never lower your guard or they will just invade your headquarters. Indeed, we have plenty of them… Again! |
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Caol Ila 7 yo 2011/2019 (55.9%, Asta Morris, sherry, cask #AM057, 245 bottles) 
Not too sure it was a good idea to kick this off with a sherried one, but there, here we are… Colour: deep gold. Nose: imagine a blend of pipe tobacco, tangerine liqueur, lapsang souchong tea, bitter chocolate, aquavit, and a little bag of cinnamon mints. It is both heavy and, by some miracle, well balanced. With water: goes towards lovage, soy sauce, umami and all that. Which, naturally, we enjoy a lot. Mouth (neat): very rich, warm, spicy and sweet. Some kind of bitter orange marmalade spiced-up with caraway and cloves and smoothened up with raisins and PX. Frightening at first but that works very well, I have to say. With water: it loves H2O, getting beautifully meaty and savoury. Raisins stewed in smoked beef stock, is that possible? Finish: long, rich, flawless. I know that’s a word that anyone would use just anytime, but in the case of a sherried peater, it really means something. Some leather in the aftertaste. Comments: as famous old Belgian rapper Pierre Corneille used to say, in souls nobly born, valour does not depend upon age.
SGP:656 - 88 points. |
Let’s check another sherried one… |
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Cola Ali Too 10 yo 2008/2019 (57.5%, Dramfool, fresh oloroso hogshead, 175 bottles) 
No typo here, but with a name like that, I doubt it’s Bruichladdich, what do you say? Colour: gold. Nose: not too dissimilar, just a tad less on Kikkoman than the Asta Morris, and a little more one fresher elements from the sea, although that would rather be urchins than oysters. Also rather a lot of chocolate, tobacco, and even acidic coffee, as well as leather and cigars. It’s all in there. With water: earth, mud, moistened cigars, gamy poultry (no names ;-)), soups... Mouth (neat): a little odd, to be honest. Some sour fruits, a wee bit of Spanish ham, some leathery kind of oranges, and some lavender sweets. It has got a ’85 Bowmore side, really – remember the older ‘Darkest’? With water: are we dead sure this isn’t Bowmore 1985? But it’s getting cleaner and more orthodox over time, that’s good news. Finish: rather long, still a little game-y and violety. Comments: it’s odd and it’s entertaining. Caol Ila 2008 mimicking Bowmore 1985, how funny is that?
SGP:575 - 78 points. |
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Cola Ali Three 10 yo 2008/2019 (59.8%, Dramfool, bourbon, 129 bottles) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: this is Mozart after Mötley Crüe. A perfect clean and precise almondy/peaty start, then cider apples and limes, then ashes and some beach bonfire. With water: yep, perfect, appropriately muddy (so to speak), coastal, ashy… Mouth (neat): impeccable, rather a bit fruitier than other young CIs (but that would be citrus and only citrus), with excellent coastal notes, oysters as ever, kelp, and just a wee touch of varnish. With water: a tad rounder and more vanilla-ed, otherwise salty and citrusy. Excellent. Finish: rather long, clean and yet beautifully fat(tish), salty… Notes of fat fish, salmon… Comments: a nice wee bottle to keep for when Scotland will be independent and part of the EU again ;-).
SGP:456 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 9 yo 2009/2019 (46%, James Eadie, Small Batch)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: flawless crystalline coastal lemony ashy smoke. There’s nothing not to like about this pristine baby. Mouth: wonderful, fruitier this time, with some candy floss, toffee apples, candied tangerines, then seafood and very young calvados. Something that just works and does not need any lengthy literature (literature, yeah right). Finish: medium, sweet, pristine, evident. Comments: a young Caol Ila that’s just a little sweeter than others, don’t ask me how and why that. Very good, naturally. So, who’s gonna bottle Caol Ila + Mezcal?
SGP:456 - 87 points. |
Four’s a good number. We should have more tomorrow… |
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