Elements of Islay Caol Ila CI14, /50,1%/ – The Elements of Islay is a range of single malt and blended malt whiskies created in honor of the legendary Isle of Islay. It was introduced by London based Specialty Drinks Ltd (now Elixir Distillers) in 2008 and new bottlings are being released several times a year. The Elements of Islay are bottled at natural strength, without chill-filtration and age statement, either as single cask or in small batches of up to 20 casks from a single distillery. The name of each bottling brings to mind Mendeleev’s Periodic Table, kind of chemical symbol of the distillery name followed by a number of subsequent releases. Cl14 is the fourteenth expression from Caol Ila Distillery. It is a vatting of American oak hogshead filled 2015, two Oloroso sherry buttes filled 2012, and one Oloroso sherry butt filled 2013. This limited edition was released in 2022.
Nose: fruity and smoky, smoked fish, seaweed, salted peanuts, dried figs and dates, raisins, caramel, lemon pepper, and a dash of ginger.
Palate: peat smoke, cherries, raspberries, smoke plums, orange peel, salted caramel, milk chocolate, cinnamon, candied ginger, and sherried oak.
Finish: fairly long, with notes of peat smoke, mixed dried herbs, coffee, chocolate, and charred oak.