Murray McDavid ‘Maveric’ Caol Ila 1993 (11 year old) 46%
Bourbon – White wine finished/ Dist 1993 Btl 2004/ Tasted: Mar 2005
Unmistakably Islay on the nose, pure and full of sea air tinged with sweet orange and citrus fruit, a touch of freshly cut peat and oily fishermans wellies! Superb on the palate, dry, medium bodied, oily with peat enhanced fruit. The smoke, Iodine and tar comes trough in waves on the middle leaving with an oily/ saline flourish. I think the wine finishing has tamed the wildness of the nose and given the fruit a roundness, but isn’t especially noticeable on the palate. Never the less this has bags of character.
Murray McDavid Caol Ila 1993 (12 year old) 46%
Sherry/ Tasted: Nov 2006
A clean and faintly phenolic nose. Plenty of sherry sweet fruit, coffee, peat, orange and a touch of brine and seaweed crackers. Clean palate again sherry dominated with some gentle peat, coffee and plenty of lasting smoke. Good depth with a balancing tart citrus note. Lovely rounded finish.
Murray McDavid Caol Ila 1991 (17 year old) 46%
Bourbon – Quarts de Chaume (Chenin)/ Dist: 1991 Btl: 2008/ Tasted: Oct 2008
Very dark amber in colour. It could almost be a fortified wine finish. The nose displays a lovely integration between the rich, subtly sweet (surprisingly) fruit and the gentle peat smoke, iodine, rubber and brine.
However the palate is a lot more wine dominated. Again subtly sweet with buckets of creamy apricot and malt flavours. The crumbly peat and coastal notes fight to get through the overwhelming wine-fruit. Very mouth filling with notes of apricot conserve and salt. Not exactly my cup of tea but if you like well made, big, sweet malts this is for you.
Murray McDavid Mission Series Caol Ila 1990 (17 year old) 52.5%
Bourbon/ Dist: 1990 Btl: 2007/ Tasted: Feb 2008
Quite phenolic and iodiney and blessed with some elegance. Brine, coal dust, rubber, fish and hints of garden fruit are all present and correct. A lovely Caol Ila nose which develops intimations of liniment, bandages and earthy-manure. The oak underpins pleasantly and plays a supporting roll. A very brief orange note appears and then disappears into the Islay morass!
The palate is clean and fresh as it should be with garden fruit, petit pois and a slight phenolity which gradually builds – Brine, fish and light peat smoke along with a touch of citrus fruit. The peat hits the mid palate with a restrained beautiful crumbly texture. Again the oak sits passively in the background. The alcohol although at cask strength is restrained and adds a touch of piquancy. Lovely salt laden finish leaving the mouth coated in an oily peat residue. Very good!
A drop of water bring out some candied orange and parma violets on the nose. Gorgeously fruity now! Whilst it softens the palate, bringing the peat forward, although the overall impression is of insubstantiality. Best drunk neat.
Murray McDavid Celtic Heartlands Caol Ila 1980 (30 year old) 50.8%
Bourbon – Amarone/ Dist: 1980 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: Dec 2010
The nose open with the wine finish upfront and personal, showing plenty of dried fruit, herbs, bog myrtle, iodine and that often fount butyric note. The combination of the astringent herbalness and the wine finish have resulted in an unyielding clash, making the nose somewhat plasticine like in character, and although not exactly unpleasant it’s not exactly setting my pulse racing! I think what I’m trying to get across is that it is not enough of a wild car crash/ bloody hell what’s that, like the Longrow Amarone finish.
The palate is soft and quite winey with the sweet, dried fruit emerging first. The alcohol is pretty intrusive and mouth watering. The sweet, butyric note is pushed to the edges and the almost youthful bog myrtle and garden fruit notes of the sprit sit comfortably on the mid palate. It has a good length thought with late notes of chocolate, coffee, old American oak and tobacco, but to be honest it doesn’t really flow, it’s awkward and disjointed. I wonder if the addition of water will pull it together.
A drop of water negates a lot the oak and emphasises the winey dried fruit and although you get more of the richness of the spirit, it’s distinctive Islay character is now a bit muted by the now more obvious wine notes.
On the palate it has become a touch watery, again the spicy dried fruit has been emphaisied, and like the nose one can ‘feel’ the rich spirit somewhere beneath. The finish is a bit abrupt, but I think that has more to do with its coastal astringency, but there is a touch of oak bittering too. I’ll give it its dues; it does linger well with the coffee, chocolate and old wood notes hanging in there.
Murray McDavid Mission Series Caol Ila 1984 (22 year old) 54.1%
Bourbon – Maury VdN Red Grenache/ Dist: 1984 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: May 2007
Initially this redolent of luxurious and richly fruity redcurrant and berry fruits, which are promptly blown away by the classic, crisp saline infused subtly peaty aromas. Good grief is this really 22 years old, I’d have put it down as mid teens, is this the Peter Pan of whiskies, clinging on to its probably un-misspent youth. It has an intriguing sweetness to it and I must say that the finish (sorry enhancement) works very well.
On the palate again the sweet fortified red fruits begin the proceedings followed by the tangy, crisp coastal fruits and delicate peat. Tongue tingling alcohol somewhat masks the finish, yet it leaves behind a beautiful sweet aftertaste.
A small drop of water makes the nose sing! Melding all the components together nicely in a near perfect balance. On the palate it softens it and again brings it all together. The wine cask effortlessly supports the intense citrus coastal fruit and the lazy peat drifts over the tongue. The finish is extremely dry and salty with touches of garden fruits, earth and soil. One word sums this malt up – Harmonious!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 