Caol Ila 6 Years (Master of Malt)

Here’s a very young Caol Ila 2011 bottled in the single cask series from Master of Malt.

Caol Ila 6 yo 2011 (58,4%, Master of Malt 2017, bourbon cask)

Nose: young and surprisingly soft. There’s some rhubarb and buttered popcorn. Hints of kiwi and pineapple. Then some seaweed notes, seashells and yeasty bread. Even a touch of rosewater lokum. Some ashes but it’s not extremely smoky so far. However the combination of minerality and sweet fruits makes it really nice.

Mouth: more punch now, very clean. More smoke, although there’s some lime and limoncello too. Hints of aniseed. Then lots of briny notes, ginger sharpness and grapefruit zest. Just a hint of mocha and caramel to round it off.

Finish: long, on pepper, ginger, ashes and mineral notes.

Sure it’s young, but it’s a fun whisky which shows a side of Caol Ila that I hadn’t seen before. Really good. Available from Master of Malt.

Score: 86/100