Islay Single Malt, 54.9%, 70cl — Single Cask #7709, Hogshead Limited edition of 156 bottles — LMDW Exclusive

COLOUR
Topaz

NOSE
Refined, distinguished. Animal (leather, bacon) and powdery (ginger, rice), the first nose shows us Caol Ila in a more peated and roasted (coffee) light than usual. Allowed to breathe, soot falls on the palate, as thick smoke creates a particularly opaque screen. Suddenly the sun appears, with candied lemon, juicy pear, bouquets of heady florals (peony, gladiolus), acacia honey and aromatic plants (verbena, sage), as a sea breeze irrigates an aromatic palette in which maturity is rivalled only by complexity.

PALATE
Rich, full-bodied. The harmonious attack is peaty, earthy, fruity, floral, herbaceous, spicy and salty… in a word, “complete”. All of these tones rival each other in intensity. With an incredibly noble expression, the mid-palate is malty, spicy (saffron), honeyed (lime blossom), infused (camomile), delicately chocolate and liquorice. The very evocative end of the palate takes us deep into a field of freshly cut barley under the last rays of the day’s sunlight.

FINISH
Long, silky. At the start of the finish, delicious notes of lime, vanilla flan and exotic fruit (passion fruit, guava) play opposite stunning chocolate, liquorice, earthy and salty flavours. Intensely smoky and slightly camphoric, the retro-nasal olfaction beams with youthful spirit. Much later, the empty glass releases blocks of dried peat, sea spray and smoky malted barley grains.