Caol Ila 2007 9 Year Exclusive (Gordon & MacPhail) BC Merchants

Smoke and lemon drops On the nose, there is rich, tarry, iodine-rich peat. Deeper notes include lemon and citrus, with hints of tropical fruit. Taste reveals an oily body, with simultaneous flavors of smoke, caramel sweetness, and bright citrus that fade into a gentle, sweet, smoky, long finish with peat smoke, iodine, caramel, wood smoke, and some lingering citrus.

Nose: dense fog, dates, and caramel. Light pepper and lemon with the characteristic malty note of Caol Ila. Taste: dense sherry, fig, with caramel, vanilla, and honey. The peat is present in the finish but is very subtle. It comes across as a burnt rosemary floral note. Adding water reveals the general Caol Ila profile with the sherry in the background, tasting like figs and slightly sour.

This is the 2008 release and it is excellent, a truly rare and exciting find.