Wilson & Morgan Caol Ila 1990 25 Year

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Only 6 bottles of this old Islay malt have come to KWM, it was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2015, 408 bottles have been filled at 54.3% from two Oloroso Sherry Finished casks, 4707 and 4709. The Malt Maniacs gave the whisky a gold medal.

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: very malty, surprisingly so, oat cakes and white cheddar; treacle sauce and sticky toffee pudding, Christmas cake, dulce lece and slowly emerging candied fish notes and sea salt caramel. 

Palate: big Christmas cake, some tarry smoke and dark spices; more sea salt caramel and building oily peats; the sticky toffee pudding and treacle sauce are still there with Dutch licorice and dark fruits; more oat cakes and aged white cheddar and again some chewy malt; layers of lovely fruit and honey develop in waves.

Finish: long, coating, oily and spicy with more buttery peats and mouthwatering deft salty-smoky-caramel.

Comment: this is a beautiful Caol Ila, lots of layers and somewhat Port Ellenesque; a joyous malt, wish we saw more of these!

From the Producer

"Following the two rare Oloroso-matured bottlings of Caol Ila from two years ago, this new older edition is even more refined. Five years in second fill casks have accomplished once again a daring marriage of intense peat and sherry, perfectly integrated. It’s bold, stormy, dark and immensely juicy. Heavy notes of tobacco and old leather at the nose, plus bitter chocolate, define the contribution of the sherry. On the palate it’s clearly a big Islay whisky (smoke, tar, liquorice, a certain saltiness) but at the same time it’s made richer and “amplified” by notes of walnut liqueur and red unsweetened cherries. Camphor, orange marmalade and aromatic herbs complete the scenario. A refined and intense malt, unique in its traditional but nowadays very rare style."

700 ml