Here, finally, is the last of the eight Cadenhead’s Small Batch bottles I split with friends. This is the oldest of the bunch we bought and probably the most eagerly anticipated one by the people who split it. Caol Ila is very, very rarely bad, and once it gets into the 20s it usually is very, very good. This smelled very nice when I was pouring it out for distribution and it’s been hard to wait to taste it. Here goes.

Caol Ila 22, 1991 (52.2%; Cadenhead’s Small Batch, bourbon hoghshead; from a bottle split with friends)

Nose: Some minerally peat but not a whole lot of smoke as such. A little pine and then fruit: apples at first and then increasing lemon, and increasingly ashy lemon. The pine/eucalyptus note gets a little stronger with time, and it’s sweeter in general after a few minutes. Let’s see what water does. With water there’s quite a bit of salt and more ash to go with the lemon and the pine/eucalyptus thing quietens down a bit.

Palate: Very much as on the nose at first, with minerally peat, pine/eucalyptus and lemon leading but then as it spreads over the tongue there’s quite a bit of acidic smoke. Some vanilla follows along with something almondy (maybe more a textural thing). A little later it’s the lemon/lime that plays lead and there’s some other fruit that I can’t quite pick on the edges as well. More salt on the palate with water too and the smoke gets a bit bitter..

Finish: Long. Mellow acidic smoke with some lingering salt and that almondy note. Gets bitter with water (tarry).

Comments: Probably not the most active casks. I don’t think I remember that eucalyptus/pine thing from other Caol Ilas I’ve had, of any age. It smelled much more medicinal when I was portioning out the bottle than it did tonight. Still, this is a very intriguing whisky and one that I look forward to coming back to a few more times.

Rating: 87 points. (A small bump for being unusual and unexpected.)