I don't know who at Diageo loves the Thompson Brothers, nearly as much as I do, but they seem to have access to some insanely high quality stocks at ridiculously low prices. This absolutely perfect young Caol Ila is everything we love about the special Islay distillery, bottled at cask strength and sold for a stupendously low price. While it's listed as a refill hogsheads, it's not one of those crystal clear ones definitely has some active wood to balance to rugged ocean-y peat character that makes Caol Ila so special. The color is amber. The nose offers a heady mixture of bacon smoke, salted fish, capers, burnt lemon peel, fresh rubber, fancy candle wax, salted plums and camphor. On the palate the fresh peat absolutely hammers the front in the most inviting way. We move into gorgeous cinnamon, black olive, caraway, roasted pumpkin seed, waxy salted lemon preserve and a fresh earthy peat and malty sweetness. With a splash of water it becomes much more ocean-y. A stunning basket of savory spices, salty sea spray, old cedar resin, old rain slicker, smoldering coal embers. It's lost its peaty power on the front end, replaced with salt and citrus only to be rejoined on the finish with a long ashy smoke. This stuff is just too good. I firmly believe you can't have enough Caol Ila in your life.