Caol Ila 15 Year Old 1996 Chieftain’s Choice

135! That’s the number of different Caol Ila I have tried so far. And not five were not to my liking. They call Caol Ila Mr Consistent for a reason. And I have a (very) soft spot for this malt. So when I got the chance to try this youngling – bottled in 2012 already – I did not let it pass me by.

Fresh and bright on lemon juice, oyster, a dried campfire, sweet peat and sea breeze. This is going to be another classic, I can tell.

Good body, good strength. Maritime notes come first – the peat is very outspoken and gives it something quite medicinal – followed by lemon and oranges, but also some smoked ham and stockfish. Soft pepper and some liquorice.

The finish is long, warm, green and smoky.

Classic. Told you. Number 136 scores as well!

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