CAOL ILA 17 YO 2002 French Connections G&M

TASTING NOTE
Appearance : deep golden yellow.
Nose : rich, concentrated. On the first nose, intense smoke, marine peat and candied lemon play the main roles. Allowed to breathe, malted barley makes its entrance and changes everything around. Notes of ash, fresh fruit (pear, apple) and cut hay appear alongside a now oxidative peat (lichen, moss, crushed fruit). Notably, the aromatic palette has a very delicate texture (rice, grated ginger).
Palate : firm yet creamy. The medicinal attack (camphor, tiger balm, mustard poultice) is also deliciously malty. On the mid-palate, its medicinal character is accentuated, whilst strong spices (clove, nutmeg) and chilli bring lots of energy. The warm end of the palate is herbaceous (absinthe, aniseed sweets) and ashy (smoking Havana cigar). Gradually, yellow grapefruit and green liquorice reinforce the invigorating character of the flavour palette.
Overall : long, distinguished. At the start of the finish, very nobly expressed tobacco notes appear alongside the tangy flavours of Calisson d’Aix. Very Caol Ila, it develops an increasingly hot (Espelette pepper, paprika) and salty (samphire) register. In the aftertaste, iodine tincture is placed on the taste buds. Aromatic plants (lemongrass, tarragon, bay leaf) then bring lots of freshness to the retro-nasal olfaction. The oily and rooty empty glass is primarily focused on peat.