21/10/2021 Caol Ila au naturel

Caol Ila 12yo 2008/2020 (54.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, STR Barrique): nose: on this windy, wet day, this profile is exactly what the doctor prescribed: a dry peat fire, peat bricks, stacked up for six months to dry in a field, pine-tree logs by the campfire, ashes, and even an ink well, filled with old, half-evaporated ink. Drying papyrus, carpenter's glue, waxy clay, drying away by the oven, pine splinters in the mud. Caramelised pumpkin chunks are up next, followed by silt cakes, in the second nose. Perhaps, this has rotting apples too. There is something more animal as well, be it sheep skin or horse's hair. It is dry and full of earthy dust. Finally, and very much restrained, hemp resin shows up, sticky and greasy like a hashish patty. Then, suddenly, it is back to dry earth and dusty farm paths. Mouth: the attack is surprisingly inky too -- India ink, augmented with a drop of pressed-prune juice. It is borderline petrolic, yet there is a delectable lick of dark fruit, in amongst the sticky, tarry liquid. Tarry rope, diesel-soaked fishing nets, and a shot of elderberry juice or pressed-prune juice. The texture reminds me of membrillo; only for the paste, not the taste, which is closer to Kaffir lime leaves, at this point, and that is a bit of a curveball. A lemon drop on an oil-stained oyster? Odd, but efficient. Actually, it seems to become more lemony with time, and that lemon is fighting diesel and sticky tar. It does turn fully petrolic on the tongue, almost mentholated. Finish: it feels narrow a finish to start with, yet it leaves the tongue as if chewing on horse's hair. The peat is toned down a bit, here; it is also not as dry as it was on the nose. Instead, we have spongy peat bogs, a drop of ink, and horse manure. The fruit, if it is still there, is now elderberry for sure, which is to say: earthy and rancio-y, rather than juicy and sweet. There are some embers, in the end, warming the throat for a long while. Subsequent sips bring back some fruit alright, and it is juicier than ever: prune juice (the syrup in a tin) join pressed dry elderberry. The elderberry is really taking off, with an almost-vinegary acidity to meet that trademark earthiness. In fact, after minutes, elderberry is all that clings to the mouth, and the aftertaste stays for a loooooong time! Simple and efficient. 7/10