New Release: Caol Ila 12 Year Old Official Feis Ile 2017 for 55.8%

Every year, Caol Ila manages to bring a special feel. Caol Ila CAOL ILA 12yo OB FEIS ILE 2017 55.8% Double Matured in Amoroso cask wood The aroma is sweet, with honey, orange marmalade, apple, seafood dashi, good malt, a faint chlorine and metallic note, and a sharp, strong peat. When drinking, it has orange marmalade with a light creaminess, a rich sweetness, tightening oak, clear seafood umami, sharp peat, and a long finish. 【Very Good】 This is the Caol Ila 12 year old for this year's Feis Ile, which would suggest a distillation date around 2005. It is noted as being double matured in Amoroso cask wood, which is a sweet sherried barrel. This Caol Ila has the typical peatiness with a light sharpness, yet it is skillfully layered with a rich sweetness. The matured flavor is clearly present without feeling unnatural. Although it's unclear how long the maturation period was in Amoroso cask wood, the natural sweetness and fruity notes added a sense of unity. At Feis Ile, each distillery selects something they have specially crafted for the event every year. However, there are often significant yearly differences between distilleries like Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Bowmore (which can be exciting in its own way). On the other hand, Caol Ila is reassuringly stable. Even within Diageo, it feels more stable than Lagavulin. This year's release met expectations with its usual stability and was quite good.