Tasting notes: Caol Ila 22-year-old – Feis Ile 2019

After reviewing a very lovely 15-year-old Bowmore it’s now time for another Feis Ile bottling. And that will be this Caol Ila 22-year-old.

I do like a Caol Ila from time to time. The distillery is known for its consistency and that is certainly reflected in its whiskies, whether it is the youngsters or the older ones, they are usually always good. This is also the case with the Feis Ile bottlings, at least so I was told. Because believe it or not, this is the first Feis Ile bottling from Caol Ila that I am about to taste. So let’s see if it is indeed that good.

This Caol Ila has matured in sherry-treated American oak casks and is bottled at 58.4% ABV.

Caol Ila 22-year-old tasting notes:

Nose: Subtle smoke, a hint of citrus but this disappears rather quickly. A little bit of leather and some sherry sweetness. Then brine and seaweed. There’s some mint. Later tinned apricots. Followed by fresh oranges. And Cola balls, oddly enough. Those silver ones?

Taste: A sweet honey note. Sweet oranges. Tinned apricots. A subtle layer of peat, but really in the background. Iodine. A little ashy and somewhat salty too. Caramel. Sweet cherries. Cola balls again. And some spices.

Finish: Long and thick, peat. Leavy. Burned caramel. Somewhat salty here too. And a bit spicy.

Love this Feis Ile bottling from Caol Ila. It’s very subtle like older Caol Ila can be, but even though it is very subtle there’s a lot going on in this one. Very interesting and enjoyable. You can’t go wrong with Caol Ila! Well, almost never that is. 😉