I know i know…
I am a bit late to the part this year. DHL as usual fucked up, and handled the review samples package too slowly to get them to me in time. In fact, I only received the sample the other day… The upside is that there’s still some Black Friday whisky to be bought on the TWE site, if you’ve not gotten yourself a bottle and decide to get one after you read my review 😉
This year TWE has chosen to go with a 16-year-old Islay single malt from the Caol Ila distillery. While Coal Ila is the biggest distillery on the island and you can find many IB Caol Ila’s around, the pricing for this 16-year-old is as fair as you can get. Caol Ila is maybe not the most exotic of distilleries but it does produce high-quality peated whiskies, and this sounds like another one of those. Let’s try some.
Black Friday 2022 , 16 year old Coal Ila, 53.2% , £94.95
Nose: Ashy and smoky with sweet marinated smoked bacon up front, alongside herbal smoke (mint,zaatar), there’s also a sweet fruitiness about it, with bbq’ed apples and poached pears. It’s maritime alright with the “compulsory” sea-spray, brine and tarry fishing boat rope, alongside ripe oranges.
Palate: ashy, peaty, salty, and earthy from the very first sip with sweet pastries alongside the sweet smoke that develops, more of the baked apples, and some herbal notes as well. The cured bacon wrapped in its sweet maple marinade comes next, as well as mint leaves, iodine, and more dirty tar and soot. Classic Caol Ila.
Finish: Brine, lingering peat embers and smoke, cereals, and a hint of espresso alongside ‘after 9’ chocolate.
Conclusion: You get what you pay for. A really good middle-aged smokey and peaty Caol Ila, packing enough power and peat goodness for Islay lovers. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very enjoyable for a cold wintry night with the fireplace roaring.
Score: 87/100
Still available online, if you fancy one.