Caol Ila 1974 20 Year Cadenhead Green Bottle

I recently encountered an exceptional Caol Ila. Caol Ila CAOL ILA 1974-1994 20yo Cadenhead Green Bottle 58% The aroma is a powerful smoky peat, tar, seawind, and faint fish stock, with ripe apricot or orange, black tea, strong yet refined barley notes, musk, oil. Upon drinking, it starts with a smooth mouthfeel that expands into spiciness, featuring concentrated freeze-dried orange, chewy texture, strong peat and tar, jam sweetness, rich barley umami, good oak tannins, and a surprisingly long pleasant finish. 【Very Good】 This is a cask strength Caol Ila 1974, aged for 20 years from Cadenhead's Green Bottle. From the very first aroma, I sensed the powerful peat and seawater typical of Islay cask strength whiskies, along with clear nuances of fish stock. However, ripe fruits and black tea also stood out, with a good barley character. Most notably, the alluring subtlety that wrapped around everything was very appealing. When drinking, despite its high alcohol content, it has a surprisingly smooth mouthfeel with an expansive spread that gives a strong cask strength presence. There's a concentrated fruity note like freeze-dried orange, along with a chewy texture. The peat also asserts itself strongly. Additionally, the Cadenhead Green Bottle's barrel character lacks harshness, with a well-balanced maturity and strong yet good barley notes. The umami of the barley was clearly felt. Despite its intensity, there were no lingering bitter elements in the long finish, which was a very positive impression. This Caol Ila made me keep drinking glass after glass. While Caol Ila has consistently good quality across new and old releases, it's rare to find something truly outstanding. This one was exceptionally good.