Caol Ila 9 Year Old 2010 WhiskySponge

We know WhiskySponge mostly from the wonderfully satrical blog in which he truly mocks everyone in the world of whisky. It comes as no surprise that the inimitable strong man behind the blog – my friend Angus McRaild – finally brings whisky to the market himself. And the labels are fantastic: each and every one a hilarious cartoon. In the case of this young Caol Ila we see the Jedi Lord Sponge attacking an X-Wing piloted by an individual named Dave Bowman. If you have no idea what this is all about, nae worries. If, like me, you do, then you might, like me – certainly after reading the tasting notes on the back label – wet yourself a little bit with laughter. But for now, let’s focus on the contents of the bottle: a 9 years old Caol Ila. Sweet vanilla is immediately overpowered by a cold barbecue the day after the garden party, green olives, tobacco leaves, wine vinegar, caramelized wood, a drop of tabasco, stock fis hand sun dried celp. A single peach seems to have lost it’s way in this beautiful nose. Delicious! The alcohol is perfectly integrated, no water is needed. It starts rather sweet now, while ashes and wood vye for your attention. Candied ginger, liquorice, chili pepper. Midpalate it suddently turns quite maritime with some citrus fruit, zest included. On the back label, the bottler jokes that you should add some recycled dinosaur urine. The thought is hilarious. Very long, wonderfully smoky and mildly drying finish on tobacco leaves and black tea make me long for another sip. You’d almost forget that Angus also knows his whisky. This is actually one of the best Caol Ila I’ve tasted. Kudos!

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