- Raided Score: 85
- Publication: whiskyfun
- Excerpt: Very very good, just a little hard to follow. That’s me, obviously. A malt unlike any other.
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- Raided Score: 89
- Publication: Whisky Advocate
- Excerpt: Reduced, there’s more of a soft flow, though there’s still a touch of green olive minerality. A steal at this price. Snap it up.
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- Raided Score: 88
- Publication: Drinkhacker
- Excerpt: There’s no shortage of activity and excitement in this whisky, but I still feel like it’s trying to find a way to completely gel. How many more years that will take is anyone’s guess.
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- Raided Score: 90
- Publication: Whisky Advocate
- Excerpt: The nose and palate are really something but I was left a hair disappointed by the finish. That being said, the palate was awesome and I love the uniqueness of one of what is already my favorite Islay distilleries.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Intro:
This is a 17yr old release from Diageo and co, I mean Caol Ila, that is unpeated and barreled at cask strength. Lets dive in.
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Nose:
Honey, melon, Dole fruit syrup. White better, butter cream. It's all sweet, all fruity. There's a faint hint of pepper but this is like Dole syrup straight from the bottom of the fruit cocktail can.
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Taste:
Sweet cream, brine, pepper. Melon, especially honeydew. Caramel, nougat, pepper, faint smoke. Again, massively fruity and sweet with wisps of smoke and pepper here and there.
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Finish:
Medium length, no heat. Faintly bitter but loaded with honey and faintly smoldering smokiness.
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Overall:
The nose and palate are really something but I was left a hair disappointed by the finish. That being said, the palate was awesome and I love the uniqueness of one of what is already my favorite Islay distilleries. It squeaked its way to a Rank 7 but a significantly better finish could have made this bound for greatness. Really shines at cask strength here.
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Score:
7
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources