Caol Ila week began yesterday with a 7 yo bottled by Single Cask Nation from bourbon barrels. The second Caol Ila of the week is slightly older at 10 years old and was bottled by G&M from a single refill sherry butt for Binny’s in Chicago. I’ve had a number of excellent sherried Caol Ilas of this general age from G&M—see, for example, this one. Then again, I’ve also had some that were less excellent—see, for example, this one. Let’s see where this one falls.

Caol Ila 10, 2007 (59%; G&M for Binny’s; refill sherry butt 311989; from a bottle split)

Nose: Ah, very nice notes of sweet pipe tobacco off the top with ashier smoke coming up from below. On the second sniff there’s some orange peel and some biscuity malt, even as the ashy smoke expands. With time there’s a hint of apricot as well and also a bit of savoury gunpowder. With a big squirt of water there’s a fair bit of butterscotch and then more of the savoury gunpowder.

Palate: Generally as indicated by the nose but with more of the citrus and less of the ash. Remarkably approachable at full strength; rich texture. The biscuity malt from the nose emerges on the palate as well. With time, that savoury gunpowder shows up here as well, mostly in the form of rock salt; some charred meat too now. Okay, let’s add water. As on the nose, water brings out more of the sulphur; a bit too much now, even for my rock salt-friendly taste.

Finish: Long. The smoke crests and then there’s more of the orange peel. As on the palate with time and water.

Comments: This was a refill butt that had a lot left to give. Lovely sherry character, nicely blended with the peat—hardcore sulphur-phobes may disagree. I will say that it’s not particularly identifiable as Caol Ila; it doesn’t have that green bell pepper note that sherry cask Caol Ila often sports. But it’s tasty enough that I won’t hold that against it. That said, this was the rare high strength malt that I preferred neat.

Rating: 87 points.