A new year has started and I hope you don’t have a hangover from last night festivities (at least not a bad one 🙂 ) so let’s welcome in the new year with a mini series of lovely high-end whiskies (you can call them posh if you want to), some are way expensive and some are still affordable – just like the one we review today: Caol Ila 25 Year Old.
It’s the revision that Caol Ila started bottling in 2010 at 43% while previous versions in 2004/5 were bottled at cask strength (if you got any of those, drop me an email!).
Caol Ila 25 (43%, £158/€187.5)
Nose: Hmm, I tend to forget how age diminish the peat impact and so the initial big fruity note caught me a bit off guard but then a gentle peat smoke joins in the background with pine, apples and sweet green melon. there may be even a bit of perfume here. with a few drops of water we also get honey. Continue reading
Why is it controversial? Because a guy with a panama hat selected the latest revision (2013) as the best whisky in the world in his best seller “Whisky Bible 2015” book.
Nose: Fresh wood polish and color with vinegary sherry and sour berries. Then comes huge sweet concentrated plums and hints of pepper and exotic spices. 
Nose: Fresh and young nose but not too young as there’s no evident new make notes. It’s sherried to the max and very sugary sweet but not overly so. Strawberry, cinnamon and there’s some bitterness that hides below all that sweet sherry.
Nose: At first it’s malty and with some young spirit notes (almost new make). Then comes the sherry impact with light sweetness of dried fruits glazed with vanilla. After a minute or two, there are indeed sweet figs, dates, and the smell gets more sherried with cloves, dash of cinnamon and heavy concentrated nutmeg (almost bitter), then another wave of malt and vanilla (must be some active american oak casks in there) and chocolate. 
Whisky Gospel 