Caol Ila 16 Year Old Cadenhead’s Warehouse

During Spirits in the Sky, the amazing whisky festival in Brussels organized by The Nectar, I participated in the Cadenhead's Warehouse Tasting where we could taste a number of cask samples from the warehouses from this bottler in Campbeltown. In the glass is a 16-year-old Caol Ila that has matured on a sherry cask. Although not mentioned, it must have been a distillate from 2005 or 2006. It was also not revealed how long this malt was aged on the sherry cask, nor what type of sherry cask it was. But we don't let that stop us enjoying it. We tasted it with a lot of gusto!

A nice sweet, herbal Caol Ila, where the maritime elements are heavily attacked by the sweetness of the sherry cask. Caramel and apricot jam go head-to-head with kelp and stockfish. It gives the whole a wonderful aroma that is particularly inviting. I can barely wait to take a sip.

It is nice and oily and tastes even sweeter than the nose suggested. The typical notes with which you associate the house (citrus, seaweed, peat smoke) are present, but are easily overpowered by caramel, mulled wine and even chocolate. A beautiful trace of woodsmoke provides a nice warmth.

The finish takes forever and goes from salty to sweet to particularly herbal. Maggimix on the deathbed.

Delicious! This is a pure winter dram. No idea when Cadenhead's plans to bring this to market (if at all), but I'm keeping an eye on things.

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