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Old and Rare

CAOL ILA 14 ans 2004 The Little Big Book Gordon & Macphail

56.8%single malt whisky70cLscotland/islay Ref COL56584

185.00 €

i.e. 264.29 € / liter

Offering an uninterrupted view of the famous ‘Paps’ of Jura, Caol Ila’s impressive glazed still room is home to the tallest stills on Islay. More smoky than peaty, mineral, undeniably marine and at the same time beautifully fruity, the single malt produced here is extremely popular amongst enthusiasts. A true journey through time taking us back more than half a century, this bottling in many ways evokes the magnificent Caol Ila 1966 Centenary Reserve bottled in 1995 to mark the 100 year anniversary of the renowned independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. Amongst its many praiseworthy qualities, it is a stunning illustration of how well Caol Ila takes to sherry-cask ageing.

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  • Heavily Peated

Nose : refined, unctuous. Right from the initial nose, the scene is set, with notes of soot and smoked meat appearing alongside stewed fruits (marmalade, melon). The aromatic palette then becomes increasingly gamy and salty. Allowed to breathe, a handful of spices (black pepper, curry), quince jelly and heady florals (lavender, rose, peony) bring lots of complexity. Gradually, dark chocolate, liquorice and smoke (ash, burnt wood) lastingly flood the atmosphere.

Palate : full-bodied, distinguished. The remarkably taut attack then takes on the fruit and smoke from the nose. The spicy (ginger) and herbaceous (gentian) mid-palate allows superb medicinal and gamy notes to be expressed. This take almost complete possession of the palate. The silky, delicate end of the palate invites us to enjoy a delicious apricot jam sprinkled with rose petals.

Overall : long, powdery. Smoke has now filled the flavour palette. The same smoke also hints at a large number of flowers (carnation, purple lilac, gillyflower). With time, notes of Havana cigar, leather and liquorice stick accompany morsels of intense dark chocolate. The retro-nasal olfaction is characterized by emery cloth, noble wood, chimney smoke (soot) and clove. Unexpectedly but with much conviction, the empty glass allows a glimpse of red fruits (red currant, grenadine) and invites us to begin the tasting again.

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CAOL ILA is a brand imported and distributed in France by LMDW

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