Whisky : Caol Ila 13 Year (2007), Scotch Universe “Callisto X”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 55.4%

Cask : First Fill PX Sherry

Age : 13 Years (Distilled 2007, Bottled 2020)

Nose : Grill ash, fruit, and sea. Burning charcoal grill, sweet seafood, fish oil, and grilled fruits or peppers. Background notes of maritime shore and seawater, smoked tea wrapped rice, and medicinal herbs.

Palate : Medium-bodied and oily with a maritime profile of grilled fruit and charcoal. Lovely caramelized fruit sugars with grilled peaches, pineapples, and gooey salted caramel. Hints of vanilla and cola flittered in the background with charcoal soot, burned coconut husk, and treacle. Toward the end were smoked chocolate, grilled fruit, and pepper spice notes.  

Finish :  Lingering sweet pepper and sea.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Grilled Fruit Cobbler

Notes : I found this to be perfectly balanced between the maritime-herbal heavily peated Caol Ila and an aggressive PX cask. It was a tad sweet for my taste, but the fruit and charcoal matched well and left the impression of grilled fruits with the sea and pepper notes in the background. I loved the meatiness of the nose and the chocolate that appeared near the end of the palate.  

Caol Ila is a versatile malt, and the massive distillery acts as an Islay Swiss army knife to fill orders for independent bottlers and support Diageo’s signature blends. Overall, another great offering from Scotch Universe, who are pretty high on my list on independent bottlers.

Image Credit: Whisky.com