Review #107: Images of Islay "McArthur's Head Lighthouse", NAS, 53.2% abv, Malts of Scotland, 236 bottles

let's call this Caol Ila

Caol Ila is on the Sound of Islay and so is McArthur's Head Lighthouse, albeit at the southern end. Still, CI is the closest distillery, and I imagine the view of Jura is pretty similar, so Caol Ila should be a pretty safe assumption.

Wow, this stuff is clear like water. Well, maybe it has a little color to it, but against my maple desk it looks like young tequila.

Nose: smells like Caol Ila. Lemon, sooty peat, some shellfish, and also some candied sweetness. It smells young without being spirity: there's some ricola herbs, the sootiness is a little aggressive, and maybe there's some burnt plastic that hasn't quite settled down yet.

Palate: soft and lemony for a moment, then like chewing on a peat brick that's still burning. There's a little bit of meatiness to it, but that might just be my mouth.

Finish: eventually -- eventually -- the smoke clears and some sweet oyster brine is left.


Good entertaining stuff, if you like young peat a lot. Keeps its distillery character, too.

score: 84