Whisky : Caol Ila 16 Year Fèis Ìle 2020

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 53.9%

Cask : Refill Hogshead, Amoroso treated Hogshead

Age : 16 Year

Nose : Sweet, smoke, and fruity.  Fruity tobacco, roasted pork, creamy nougat, maple candies, and burning pine.  Further in were faintly antiseptic and caramelized fruit notes which varied between cough syrup and banana’s foster.  

Palate : Medium bodied with clean crisp notes of citrus and smoke.  Tropical fruit buffet along the beach— salty air, mango, lychee, and strawberry guava.  Fresh citrusy lemonade and caramelized sugar cane appeared with undertones of salt and smoke.  Faintly chemical-medicinal quality of pool water and sweet melted popsicles.  The wife described it as smoked apple cider.

Finish :  Lingering citrus fruits with a kiss of salt.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Cabana Fruit Buffet

Notes :  Released to celebrate the virtual Fèis Ìle of 2020 this sixteen year old Caol Ila was quite the treat.  It combined just enough of a sweet sherry finish to the salty malt of the distillery to give the impression of an all access resort pass.  Who needs breakfast when you can abandon your cares poolside while wandering over to the fruit buffet cabana whenever fancy strikes.  This had lovely salt and medicinal notes which nodded toward the experience of relaxing besides a beachside pool.  Why bother getting salty when the resort pool is just as nice?

The nose did not entirely match the palate and, in a reversal of my usual preference for the aroma of a dram versed to how things play out on the palate, I actually liked how this tasted more than how it smelled.  The aroma was sweet and subtle with much greater emphasis on sugary notes while the palate highlighted a great deal more salt and medicinal funk.  Overall, this was a wonderful dram and a great peak at the sorts of things the distillery can put out.  I think for my money, the “Unpeated Style” limited editions present a similar profile at a lower price, though this did have an extra layer of complexity from the finish.