Caol Ila 1991 30 Year Old, Douglas Laing XOP 2021, The Black Series

Caol Ila 1991 30 Year Old, This deep-sherried 30 year old Islay single malt was laid to sleep at the Caol Ila distillery in January 1991 and bottled for Douglas Laing’s Xtra Old Particular Black Series, a range designed to pay homage to their finest and rarest antique single cask whiskies stocks, in September 2021.

Next Yield from refill sherry hogshead number 15245 at a natural cask strength 48.4% ABV, this glowing malt is one of just 190 hand-filled bottles that comes with pitch-black presentation case, glass stopper decanter and COA insert.

Taste of Caol Ila 1991 30 Year Old

In addition. Tasty stuff! There’s such an intense syrupy-savoury richness that I’d normally associate with a younger peated/sherried whisky, and I very nearly convinced myself that this was a Bowmore with all those floral notes. There are some great earthy notes in there too, that roast squash is almost uncanny.
Nose
More so, Sweet and savoury. Maple-glazed ham, bacon, and barbeque sauce, with sweeter notes of malt, maple syrup, brown sugar, and milk chocolate too. Roast squash with dried rosemary, just like I ate for dinner the other night. Juicy fruit – maraschinos, red apple, orange, some pineapple, strawberry sauce, and cantaloupe. Hints of toasted sesame oil, lapsang souchong, tar, and cedar. Slightly nutty, Further like toasted rice.
Taste
Finally, Medium texture. Arrives with savoury and spicy peat smoke: all-dressed chips (there’s a Canadianism for you), salty smoke, cool earth, dead leaves, and then a hint of bitter iodine. cherries. Soft sweet fruit and herbal-floral in the middle soft herbal: lots of lavender and rosemary, some papaya, charred pears, flowers, lemongrass, floral teas and salted butter.
Equally Important Finish
However. Medium-length. Strong overbrewed tea and dead leaves. Salt and lots of black pepper. Cooked stonefruit. Nori, soy sauce, sushi rice even! Rosemary and lavender again.