Old, naked Caol Ila highlighted by bright apples, wet pebbles and seashells. There's a very distant smoke with touches of old oak and hemp ropes, underpinned by the gentle sweetness of cotton candy and mush banana. Balanced beyond belief.

Thick and mouth-coating, this old Caol Ila shows its high abv but never becomes too aggressive. A pinch of white pepper and very salty with whispers of lemon zest, agave and dried hops, but also touches of bonfire smoke and olive brine.

Lingering spices, sweet peat and soft minerals. Long.

First it smells like a dusty - old school smoky malt. As for the other 25yo's in the tasting (details see comment above) this one is also requires more time to open up. But then...
The mineral, lemon, citrus and pineapple notes kicks in! Very strong and fruity but also sweet. Dried fruits: plums, figs, apricot and also some dates in an old cellar. Old leather, sofa. Somewhat dirty, like and old machinery?

Extremely intense in terms of the aromas: fruits, pineapple, lemon, mango, passion fruit with dried fruits of plums and figs. Very complex fruitiness combined with sweetness. The alcohol is not recognizable, does not require any water..

Long fruity aftertaste.
Excellent Caol Ila!

That lovely smoked fish note I've come to expect from naked CIs from the late '70s and early '80s, and some lemon in the background. A greasy, bold smoke that's heavier than modern CI. A strong peater, without being at all cartoonish.

By nose I was already thinking of a very high score, but the mouth draws it down a bit. Neat it's a perfect - if even peatier than usual - example of a CI that's been allowed to age long with the cask influence pared down to a backing instrument, rather than forcing heavier oak on it where none is required. After all, CI is apparently an immortal distillate that can in suitable conditions be aged past all reason, while remaining spry and powerful, so beating it to death with heavy wood that mutes the distillate and masks its change is a bit daft. Sadly even one teaspoon of water makes this dram a little lackluster, so that a Port Askaig 25yo (similar style, but bottled 45,8%) overtakes it in the fullness and the firmness of its body.

Slowly receeding, long, mostly on marine peat tastes.

Fairly mild and dry peat smoke, some dusty wood note, very oily and nutty, a coastal saltiness, seashells and seaweed, faint white unripe melon and fennel, also a mild vanilla in the background.

Quite sharp and spicy, peat smoke, vegetal oils, salty and sweet, some liquorice and pepper like wood notes.

Long: liquorice, a mild oak wood note and salty soy sauce fading into a black pepper spicyness.