Caol Ila 2004 Distillers Edition

The bottle has been open 3 months and has about 1/3 left.

The nose has light peat, though not the 'smokey' variety but more that of a distant cousin to Lagavulin. It is however very faint. Come to think of it, it makes me think of the 'peat intensity' (or lack thereof) of a HP 12. There is an unmistakable sweetness. However, it's not the 'typical' Oloroso or PX sweetness, but a pronounced 'big, full, yellow and ripe grape' sweetness coming from the Moscatel finish; a grape that you just know will explode in juicy sweetness once you bite into it. Bit of liquorice. Quite some green apple. I suppose all together it makes for a rather 'crispy fresh' nose with a touch of peat.

The palate is quite soft and viscous. The grape carries through well. It's a bit of a dessert wine on steroids. I dread to use the dreaded reference 'smooth' (and it's the first time I use it in a review) but... alas, it's actually not such a bad descriptor here! It's an all enjoyable sensation, though rather straight forward. Don't go looking for huge complexity of intertwined peaty, smokey, charcoal elements here. Just enjoy it.

The finish isn't too long, but a warm embrace on a pleasantly warm summer's day standing in the midst of grapevines ready to pop.

Actually, I'm struggling a bit to pick this one apart into 'interesting' components but do not for a second mean that it's not an enjoyable and pleasant dram. It certainly is! Maybe it's just very 'well together', or, I shouldn't have messed with the palate of munching on a piece of BBQ pancetta before reviewing it... I find it really nice though, and with regular availability for £49 it's rather well worth it. Put it like this: if HP 12 is one of your daily drams but once in a while you like something more pronounced "Islay", then I think you'll really appreciate this one.

I give it a well deserved, albeit slightly anonymous, 89.

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