Another Caol Ila today! Though the age of the whiskies has jumped up a bit; now exploring twenty-something year malts, and this is where the floor of Caol Ila really begins to rise up. This particular whisky spent its life in a refill sherry butt, and there are few combinations better than a gentle sherry maturation and some wonderfully mellow peated whisky.

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Whisky: Caol Ila 23 Year (1996), Gordon & McPhail Cask 16075

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 58.3%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 23 Years (Distilled 29 October. 1996, Bottled 23 Jan. 2020)

Notes: BBQ in an industrial car park— this was meaty and sweet with caramelized fats and marinades, yet dirty with grease, tires, hot rubber, and hot metal, a bit like standing at the train station on a warm night. The meaty richness was incredibly inviting with fatty pork belly, pepper paste, shoyu, brown sugar, and a kiss of something faintly citrusy. Medium-bodied on the palate, the whisky was meaty, smokey, and tangy with charred pork belly, caramelized marinades, and plenty of mustard leaf and peppery mizuna. Herbal elements ascended with smoke, as camphor, wild mint, arugula, and toasted mustard seed provided a peppery element to sesame seeds and the overarching char and smoke. The dirtier elements were not invisible, but they felt more subdued. The finish was medium to long and rather drying with black pepper, sweet pepper paste, old car parks, and mustardy herbs.

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Score: 8 (87)

Mental Image: Car Park Korean BBQ

Conclusion: Powerful and robust, the peated malt and refill sherry cask paired majestically accentuating the meatier, dirtier, and more industrial qualities of the malt. This was not a subtle whisky, though it had plenty of depth when given some time or a few drops of water— but it was so good that I hardly had the patience to wait. The mouthfeel was weighty, even a touch waxy at times, especially on the finish.  Overall, I may love my fruity maritime Caol Ila, but this was a dirty delight.