Caol Ila 1989 vW The Ultimate - Cask Strength
| Category | SINGLE MALT |
| Distillery | Caol Ila |
| Bottler | van Wees (vW) |
| Bottling Series | - |
| Vintage | 1989 |
| Bottled Year | 1998 |
| Age | 8년 |
| Cask Type | Bourbon Cask |
| Cask Number | - |
| Bottles Released | - |
| ABV | 59.2% |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Label | - |
| Country | Scotland |
| Region | Islay |
Flavor Profile
Tasting Notes
Colour
very pale white wine
air Nose
it doesn’t start wildly but there’s presence indeed. Very smoky, peaty and rather rubbery (rubber bands), with quite some burnt matchsticks, ashes, stones and hints of marzipan, almond milk, a little resin and maybe faint hints of new plastic. Whiffs of smoked tea, humus, forest after the rain… Very little fruity notes if any. A very clean, honest and uncomplicated Caol Ila, with quite some oomph at just 40% not as rough as expected but typically uncomplicated and compact. Peat, smoke, ashes, stones, a little lemon juice and a dash of pepper and that’s it, ite Missa est. Ah, yes, also whiffs of fermenting hay and maybe a little manure. A flawless youngster that will neither make you scratch your head, nor frown
restaurant Palate
there’s maybe a little lack of body right at the attack but it does grow bolder after that. Smoked herbs, resins, herbal teas, something very leafy with a nice bitterness but always quite some freshness. Something that really makes me think of some (good) gins. A poolside Caol Ila? Quite some peat but again, very little fruits and almost no sweetness, which may be good news here. We have also an unexpectedly long finish, on marzipan and cold, un-sugared strong tea. Again, a good one for next summer – on ice? 82 points . Caol Ila ‘Very Young’ (59.4%, Whisky-Doris, 2006) This one is bottled for German online retailer whisky-doris.de. Previous bottlings were very good, I thought quite oily, with lots of sweetness now, probably from the alcohol. Astonishingly drinkable at such high strength. Develops on grapefruits, lemon skins and seeds, peat of course… Something bitterly vegetal (endives), quite some liquorice, something rooty… Exactly the same