Caol Ila 9 Year Old 2012 Thompson Brothers

In just a few years, Phil and Simon Thompson have emerged as bottlers of excellent single casks (in addition to their own distilling escapades with Dornoch Distillery, of course). This is one of them. It was bottled exclusively for our northern neighbors. It concerns a young Caol Ila from 2012 from a dechar / rechar barrel, which means as much as a rejuvenated cask which should provide an extra sweetness, since the spirit can come into contact with charred wood again and thus pick up all those tasty vanillins.

Very full nose, if you know what I mean. Even a tad creamy. Quite a bit of vanilla (told you so) and sweet fruit in the form of apples and even some banana. A lost orange and a slice of fresh white bread. Slowly but surely the peat starts to take over with a nice smoke development and a sweet and sour touch. Stable odors after a few moments. Very aromatic.

Also, on the tongue I am pleasantly surprised by the viscosity. Nice and full-bodied, but the alcohol makes itself felt at the first sip. Banana, orange, vanilla... they all return. The smokiness is now somewhat under control and seems to be more like woodsmoke than peat smoke, I have to say. Works for me. Licorice and pepper make their appearance.

The finish is wonderfully long, but also slightly drying on all kinds of citrus fruit, banana and – you guessed it – vanilla. Ashes on the deathbed. Great finish.

Mr Consistent Strikes Again. Great Caol Ila, even at that young age. Funny detail: when I presented it at a tasting someone said 'wet seal on the nose'. That must have been the power of suggestion from the label, right?

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