Caol Ila 2011

A textbook young Caol Ila, fully showcasing the distillery style and the influence of the first fill bourbon casks. At the nose, it offers only a hint of the peaty intensity it has in store: very medicinal, very phenolic, but almost friendly. There are even some farmy notes, a slight touch of butter and vanilla, for a soft first approach. But Islay malts like to take you off-guard… At the first sip, a huge maritime blast of iodine and peat, ashy and tarry, envelops your senses. After the initial shock, you start to get the delicious nuances: a fruity freshness of bananas and ripe white wine. Again, it’s almost buttery, before turning clean, mineral and very lemony, with the peat burning hot and thick for several minutes.