Caol Ila Islay Single Cask Exclusive LNB013

David Stirk recently sold his Creative Whisky Company, but he continues to work there and select the casks. This single cask from Islay is actually from Caol Ila. After all, LNB stands for Loch Nam Burn, the water source for this distillery. No age statement and no info about the cask apart from the fact that it is cask 13. Hopefully not unlucky. After maturation on a bourbon hogshead, this Caol Ila was finished on a port cask, which explains the pink sheen. Oh, this nose is somewhat weird. The Caol Ila character is unmistakable, but it is joined by something that reminds me of blood and rusted tools in the shed. Add some red fruit (strawberry and raspberry), vanilla and a pinch of salt to complete the picture. Oh, lest I forget, there is also a lovely, discrete development of smoke. Becomes better if you leave it to breathe for a while. The body is fine and the arrival both soft and powerful. You follow? Pretty spicy on liquorice, vanilla and pepper, big peat, sweet and sour touches and smoke to no end. Much more powerful than the nose announced. Surprisingly sweet from the second sip forward, while the salty edge never goes away. This is very good! The finish is very clean and smoky and lingers quite a while. While I suspect some young Caol Ila was used, it is such a great dram that I could not care less.

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