Whisky : Caol Ila 30 Year SMWS 53.322 “Carpe Diem”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 51.7%

Cask : Refill Sherry Butt

Age : 30 Years (Distilled 18 April 1989)

Nose : Fruit, smoke, and subtle wood notes.  Oily baked salmon, salt air, and a seaside bonfire.  Hints of strawberries and dark cherries along with herbaceous tobacco, pepper, and tar sands.  With time came charred driftwood baking in the sun, mineral rich salt ponds, rust, old erasure, and a very faint rancio.

Palate :  Full bodied, oily, and flavorful with maritime, wood, and herbal notes.  Seawater, dried seaweed, smoke, and charred driftwood.  Herbal and slightly bitter with notes of tobacco, pepper, and menthol.  Hints of crushed almonds, antique wood, lavender, and licorice which all came out a bit more with water.  Smoke arrived at the end with the impression of burning wood, gunpowder, and saltwater.

Finish :  Lingering dryness with maritime salt, wood, and ash.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Battle of the Nile and the Tears of Napoleon

Notes : During the battle of the Nile, when the British fleet finally caught Napoleon’s off the coast of Egypt, the French flagship L’Orient suffered a fire below decks.  British ships concentrated fire on L’Orient to prevent the crew from extinguishing the blaze and after two hours of fighting the fire reached the ship’s magazines.  Aware that the fire was out of control nearby French and British ships quickly put distance between themselves and the stricken vessel, dousing their own decks with water.  The L’Orient was nearly vaporized in the blast as flaming wreckage scattered across the water and started small secondary fires on nearby ships.  The battle was a great victory against Napoleon as it severely curtailed his overseas ambitions and for survivors of the battle the destruction of L’Orient remained a vivid and unforgettable image.

The Battle of the Nile was not really a flavor note I felt like I could include, but when I closed my eyes and thought about the different flavors at work and tried to think how to describe them, that was what came to mind.  

I tasted this blind the first time and while I did correctly guess it was Caol Ila, I thought it was about half the age.  This was quite tasty, though the wife was not sold on it.  She thought it was a bit bitter and did not have the layers of smoke she wanted.  A few drops of water and we both found a more herbaceous side, the dram even seemed to become a bit thicker.

Overall, a wonderful old Caol Ila with some gentle sherry character. This reminded me a lot of the Caol Ila unpeated editions in terms of the salty profile, though without quite as much citrus and with some more smoke.  At $800 this bottle was priced beyond my scotch budget, so I am incredibly grateful to the friend who shared theirs.