Caol Ila 1978 / 1992 Gordon & Macphail Cask #5347-5351,11553-11564 63.7% vs Caol Ila 12 yo 1978 / 1990 Cadenhead 65.5%

Caol Ila 1978 / 1992 Gordon & Macphail Cask #5347-5351,11553-11564 63.7%

This might be a polarising one. I love it but others might find it too unhinged. Bubbling smoke from underground coal fires at the edge of violent flame, unseen furnaces fueled by the very ground itself. Resin boiling in tree trunks while roots turn into veins of hellish carbon. You survive because you had the mind to airdrop a metric ton of pristine sea water. The result is smoke and sizzle, incense, dried sap, sprigs of mint and camphor, dried lemons and a bucket of chest rub. Interestingly a touch of smoked game too. Absolutely potent but fairly simple, and does not offer any quarter. 92 pts

Caol Ila 12 yo 1978 / 1990 Cadenhead 65.5%

A similar sort of immensity to this nose but, despite the strength, somewhat less peaty hence allowing more to come through: Heaps of coal, smoked almond cream, black ash, engine oil in sea water camphorated ointments, rubbed lemon, an array of rooty herbs and a pristine nugget of black peat denser than lead. All great at this point. The palate though, is monumental in power. Hot medicinal rubs, searing salt, smoked lemons, eucalyptus essence, a pristine peated core. Very much cut from the same cloth as the G&M but clean in a way that defies words. 91 pts