I’ve already reviewed each of these independently, but have decided to revisit each of them to see how my perception may have changed, and to compare them in a side by side to see how much influence that finish had.
Minutia: Enjoyed neat in a glencairn, side by side with the Distillers Edition.
Color: Pale gold, 0.3.
Nose: Earthy, salty, ashy smoke.
Taste: Vegetal/herbal, wood (oak and green wood), smoked seafood.
Finish: Smoke ramps up up front, musty smoked seafood is where it settles. Medium.
A nice, smoky and maritime whisky. The flavor that comes in the finish is the star.
Score: 86
Caol Ila Distillers Edition, Islay Single Malt, 43% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 2006, matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in Moscatel casks, and bottled in 2018. Batch number C-si; 5-748. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn, side by side with the standard 12 year old.
Color: Russet muscat, 1.3.
Nose: Salty caramel (bit burnt/smoky). Sweeter, with a bit less ethanol burn.
Taste: Pepper, wood (tannic dryness/bitterness), bit sweet.
Finish: Musty seafood of the 12, pepper/spice.
Similar, particularly on the finish. This is a bit sweeter, generally, and the smokiness and salinity are a touch less prominent.
Score: 89
Similar noses but less earthy with a tinge more sweetness for the Distillers Edition. A subdued burn in the mouth, but the woodiness is oakier and not green at all. The smoked seafood of the taste of the 12 doesn’t come in until the Distillers Edition finish, but it’s the same quality. While I do like the smoky burst at the start of the finish on the 12 which settles into smoked seafood more than any aspect of the Distillers Edition, the sensation is similar enough when the smoke seafood arrives at the outset rather than being settled into that it isn’t all that different an experience. A step up for me, but a very small one, and one that could be reversed given the right mood/setting.
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