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Caol Ila 18 Year Old 1996 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask

Sweet Versus Salt

0 086

@markjedi1Review by @markjedi1

9th Jan 2016

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Overall
    86

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Old Malt Cask is a series from Douglas Laing (at least it used to be, nowadays it belongs to Hunter Laing) in which some exceptionally good, mostly older, malts are bottled at the golden drinking strength of 50% ABV. This Caol Ila is 18 years old and was distilled in September 1996 and bottled in September 2014.

Typical, wonderful nose on ashes, sea salt and peat, upholstered with wonderfully sweet notes of yellow fruit. Think banana, pineapple and apricots. Vanilla versus sooty. Wet rocks versus tropical fruit. Butterscotch versus lemons. Oyster sap versus dried grasses. Wonderful.

Good body, nicely oily on the palate. Immediately nicely sweet, the sherry casks putting its foot down. The tropical fruit returns and takes on the big maritime elements. It evolves from sweet to brakish and back. Not a bid smoke development, but a great balance. Wonderful.

In the long, warm finish the sweetness again dominates. Wonderful.

Great Caol Ila with nice sherry touches. Have I mentioned it is wonderful?

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