Calila 15 Year Old Official Bottling 57% Barloch Lade Label 1980s Circulation

The best Calila shows various faces. Calila CAOL ILA 15 Year Old Official Bottling 57% 1980s Circulation, Barloch Lade Label The aroma is elegant and fruity, followed by a solid peatiness. Notes of orange, papaya, pineapple, yellow flowers, chlorine, faint metallic tones, strong and flavorful barley, firmly earthy, with the peat's smokiness taking precedence. Tar and a sense of intoxication are present. Upon drinking, it starts with a smooth mouthfeel that expands intensely, carrying the same or even stronger tropical notes as the aroma, along with chlorine and metallic elements, and a robust smoky character. There is a fruity sweetness but not overpowering, with a solid briny quality, umami from seafood dashi, and an oily finish that lingers long. 【Very Good/Excellent】 This is an official Calila from the 1980s with Barloch Lade labeling, a 15-year-old full-strength bottling. It features an impressively diverse and vibrant array of tropical fruit notes, which are rarely encountered in other Calila expressions. While the peat is quite strong, it arrives after the fruit notes in both aroma and flavor. The deep barley character and umami reminiscent of seafood dashi add complexity, alongside metallic tones, chlorine, and earthiness. The intoxicating sensation lingers for a long time. This bottle was the one that shocked me when I first drank it in Yurakucho. I believe this was just before starting this blog. The intense yet natural tropical fruit notes were striking, supported by the powerful body and peatiness typical of an Islay cask strength bottling. The aroma and flavor left a vivid impression in my memory. Later, I had the opportunity to taste a newly opened bottle of the same label at a friend's house for a new home celebration. That one had more of the dry, classic Calila cask strength character, with a solid body and complex layers of maltiness. While it was excellent in its own right, it felt different from the Yurakucho bottle. Nonetheless, I sensed a hint of fruitiness in it. The bottle I received from Main Malt this time had a flavor that fell between these two. The peatiness, with its slight sharpness and metallic tones, seemed stronger than the Yurakucho bottle. Recently, I had another chance to taste a bottle of this label that was opened at my friend's place. It showed some signs of aging but had clearly become more fruity, demonstrating a significant range of change. Given that there are multiple batches, it's likely they weren't identical to begin with. However, beyond batch differences, the condition before and after opening—essentially how they developed post-bottling—also plays a major role, something I was reminded of through this experience. Old bottles can go through decades of storage, sometimes passing through multiple collectors' hands. Unlike fine wine, it's rare for this history to be clearly documented. While we can infer some aspects from the label's condition and how much liquid remains, there are often surprises. A bottle with a worn label and less liquid might still feel young and robust, while one with a pristine label and full volume could be surprisingly faded. This applies to all malts, but I imagine that bottles like this—one that emerged as a remarkable masterpiece—might experience even greater changes based on their development post-bottling. It's also possible that bottles that have undergone various trials and transformations inside the bottle become more appealing to the drinker, adding another layer of enjoyment in whisky appreciation. I received this bottle from Main Malt in Kobe Sanmachi.