Since its first appearance in 2006, Caol Ila has released a bottling of their ‘unpeated style’ in the yearly Special Releases. I’ve read it is the tenth unpeated release already, and the oldest version so far.
Caol Ila 17 yo 1997 ‘unpeated style’
(55,9%, OB 2015)
Caol Ila 17 yo 1997 ‘unpeated style’Nose: not entirely unpeated, with a rather rough start and less fruits than expected. Green herbal notes, lemongrass and chili. Peppermint. Yellow apples and light honey. Grapefruits. Still some brine and leafy hints.
Mouth: zesty and minty again, grassy notes, with an undefined sweetness underneath. Hints of chalk and burnt oak. Lots of briny / coastal touches too. Lemon and salt. Fruitier with some water, as expected, but again fading on the dry, grassy side.
Finish: rather long, on apples, malty notes and hints of smoke.
I don’t really get why they call this ‘unpeated style’ if it replicates some kind of old Highlands whisky, including clear hints of peat!? I would have expected it to go in the fruity direction. It’s not bad but it seems to be an answer to a question nobody asked. Around € 120.
Score: 83/100