Caol Ila 15 Year Old 1998 Samaroli
Sweet Smoke
0 590
Review by @markjedi1
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall90
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Samaroli is something of an iconic bottler that has released many a wonderful cask. I first tried this Caol Ila from 1998 at a whisky festival and took home a sample, that I try today with a lot of gusto, since it was one of the highlights of the festival for me.
Wonderfully sweet, ashes infused nose. Loads of fish and linseed oil, white fruit, lemon juice and wet rocks. Soft on the spices (some aniseed), but quite punchy despite the low ABV. After a few moments, some stockfish kicks in, but then it again travels down the sweet lane with some vanilla and hints of candied pineapple and apricots. And then some white chocolate shines through. Complexity, anyone?
Soft and sweet on the palate, mildly creamy and mouthcoating. The sweetness arrives first, immediately followed by a grand smokiness. Mild tannins, but it remains more than juicy enough thanks to the white and yellow fruit. Ashes return and give it a grainy feel on the tongue if you know what I mean.
Wonderful finish, albeit not very long, on sweet smoke and citrus.
Another Caol Ila that goes straight to my heart. One to make you feel like you want to lick the glass clean. Delicious.
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Darn, this webpage links to the wrong whisky (Caol Ila Samaroli)! connosr.com/reviews/ballechin/… It should be Ballechin #8 Sauternes...! I also wanted to ask whether you've tried the new Ballechin 10...