New Release: Caol Ila 12 Year Old Official Islay Festival 2016 Bottling 56.2%

This year's Islay Festival bottling. Consistently delicious. Caol Ila 12 Year Old Official Bottling for Islay Festival 2016, 56.2% ABV. Bottled in 2016 using Refill American Oak Hogsheads and European Oak ex Bodega Sherry Butts The aroma surprisingly has a warmth, with sweet orange peel, apricot jam, baked apple, faint seafood dashi, and a gradually rising peat. When drinking, it spreads slowly with spicy notes, the rich sweetness of orange marmalade and gentle acidity, a slightly chlorinated coolness, minerals, condensed umami, seafood dashi umami, a smoky peat with a slightly ashy character, and a long finish. [Good/Very Good] This year's Islay Festival bottling of Caol Ila, 12 years old. The cask notation is similar to Lagavulin, with multiple types of vatting. Overall, it's a consistently delicious Caol Ila. However, the aroma has a noticeable sherry influence, giving it warmth, while the cooler elements are more restrained. There's a concentrated jam-like fruitiness and baked fruits, alongside the youthful Caol Ila characteristics of a firm peat and seafood-like notes. When drinking, there's the sweet and sour flavor of jam-like fruits, and I also sensed mineral or slightly chlorinated cool nuances more than in the aroma. Indeed, the seafood dashi umami and strong peat dominance are effective, making this a consistently delicious Caol Ila. By the way, due to its faint sherry character and warmth, it slightly evokes Lagavulin-like nuances in the aroma. In my classification, considering it's a Diageo distillery with some commonalities, there are notable differences in temperature sensation, but it's still categorized quite closely. #Caol Ila (CAOL ILA)