Caol Ila 2006 / 11 Year Old / The Exclusive Malts

When David Stirk releases a bottle, I always very keen. That chap knows what he is doing, if you ask me. Gems, all of them. His Exclusive Malts are always single casks at cask strength. This Caol Ila from 2006 matured for 11 years before being bottled at 52.2% ABV. It can be yours for just under 100 EUR. Bang! The nose is bull’s eye. Caol Ila can be so consistent! Loads of maritime elements, surrounded by citrus and white fruit, upholstered with smoked ham and mackerel. Classic class. It is creamy and very sweet on vanilla and sugar from the start, but then the peat explodes on the palate and all kinds of salty elements like seaweeds, oysters and stockfish underline the Islay character even more. Young, rough, unpolished and so delicious. The finish is wonderfully long, surprisingly sweet and smoky. Caol Ila is my favorite Islay whisky and while tasting this, I realize that is not about to change anytime soon. Outstanding!

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