Nose:
Incredibly dense, concentrated, even in the 1920 Blender's glass stands out no alcohol.
Strong smoke, a coal cellar, smoldering flotsam.
The sherry barrel brings red fruits (plums, figs), a certain sweetness and also your herbs (cardamom, clove).
Unmistakably Caol Ila the citrus fruits: grapefruit and orange. The oranges are sweet, more like an orange marmalade.
With some time in the glass (30 minutes) the herbs produce clearer, almost a high-quality herbal liqueur. Also comes a mineral aromas: wet stones, grated limestone, some gunpowder.
After a good one hour, it gets darker, espresso, cocoa, the fruits become darker, dark berries and dates.

With a few drops of water, the malt opens even more. All the flavors come out at once, yet the malt does not dissipate but retains a smoky-sweet-spicy aroma with the splash of orange.
Brennereicharakter and barrel are wonderfully balanced here: great!

The nose is just great in its tightness, playfulness without frazzling and the aromas and especially the powerful intensity.

Mouth:
Here, the alcohol then emerges but briefly, the tip of the tongue slices.
A smoky carpet with Jaffa biscuits, red fruits, some leather, Christmas spices and grapefruit.
The orange is very strong here, especially with water. Black tea, some dried fruit (dates and figs) and chewing tobacco come to the fore after some time in the mouth. Dark chocolate with salt. The herbs appear here a little fresher in the form of a herbal candy. A touch of peppermint.
All carried and reinforced by a strong oiliness that makes the flavors extremely concentrated and powerful. Almost as if you mix all the above in a blender, thicken again and distill to this whisky.

Finish:
Almost forever.
After half an hour, the flavors are still present. Ash, some fruit, herbs, a touch of leather

Conclusion:
There are still so many Caol Ila to explore, but I find it hard to believe that this one can be surpassed here.
This concentrated and flawless nose, this power in the mouth and the long, long finish. The balance. In addition, the slightly heavier and smokier style of the old distillery.

From my current wealth of experience, and that this whisky meets exactly my preferences:
97/100

IMHO the best Caol Ila ever bottled. I like it much more than the 68 Samaroli, and the other "Cask" that I was lucky enough to try: the integration of peat and sherry is amazing, the OBE also gives some great tropical notes, along with herbs, yellow fruits, subtle ash, toffee, orange, more citrus think grapefruit, a never ending finish , the balance is just perfect.

Sherry, farm notes, iodine notes, cowshed notes, cold campfire notes, citrus notes, brilliant sweetness,
Absolutely brilliant Islay representative !!

Outstanding old skool whisky:
Sweet-savory, even somewhat perfumy, with notes of tea, candid oranges and smoke.