Gordon and Macphail – Caol Ila 2003

Tonight was supposed to be a night of tasting Gordon and MacPhail whisky at Weber and Trings. Sadly, due to circumstances out of our control, by the time we got round to booking, the evening was full. So instead, I arranged to get together with the other member of the Real Dram club, RealDramSi. As a way of ensuring that we had something special to try, I went to Corks of Cotham to get a recommendation and ended up buying a G&M whisky. So we are sat in the lounge of Si, drinking whisky and watching snow boarding videos!

Aroma: Plum, Ripe Banana, Light Peated Smoke and Medicinal Anaesthetic

Taste: This whisky is initially green, like fresh leaves torn from the bush, crushed and devoured. This I imagine is a taste most pandas would kill for.

Quickly though this greenness is replaced by the smoke of peat, which is laced with the strong, pungent medicinal palate of hospitals, of cleanliness and of swabbed wounds. This antiseptic flavour builds, numbs and then washes away. This is a strong, complex whisky.

The longer it stays in the glass, the more flavour notes come out of it at its finish. As it warms in the hand, out come final fruity notes of apple and the sugar of raisins or bananas.

Mouthfeel: Strong, Alcholic and numbing, but never unpleasant or difficult to drink. It is moreish and deep.

Aroma: 17

Start: 17

Middle: 17

Finish: 16

Value: 16

Overall: 83/100 

More Information: www.gordanandmacphail.com

Available: Corks of Bristol