Caol Ila "Oh Man That's Great", Apollo 8, the Whisky Barrel exclusive

This is a limited bottling from The Whisky Barrel, commemorating Apollo 8. It's a 10-year-old Caol Ila, aged in a first-fill oloroso hogshead at 56.4% ABV. The label shows the iconic 'Earthrise' photo. On the nose, expect peat and mint, with notes of gooseberries, mint, permanent marker, chocolate, toffee, and anise. It presents a profile of wet grass, swamp, and hay, with a humid aroma emerging after the first taste. Subsequent sips revealed orange, vanilla, perfume, ashes, wet paper, metallic hints, cigarettes, and more wet grass. The palate is somewhat standard but still engaging, offering an explosion of oranges and lime, followed by vanilla, like licking a battery, and then toffee and condensed milk. The finish is pleasant, with ashy notes and hints of chocolate, pepper, anise, and peat. It's earthy with a slight metallic quality, grassy, with tobacco, cigarettes, ginger, and glue. This is a solid Caol Ila, though not groundbreaking. Given how independent bottlers utilize Caol Ila and how cask influence varies, this expression's palate is less impressive than the rest, earning it a score of 88 out of 100.