Caol Ila Distillers Edition
The Distillers Editions are a series of scotches from Diageo’s portfolio of distilleries, wherein each introductory whisky is further aged in another barrel for various times to impart finishing characteristics. We here at Scotchology have already reviewed the Oban, Lagavulin and Cragganmore variants. The Caol Ila Distillers Edition starts life as the 12 year offering, which we’ve already reviewed here, and further finished in ex-Moscatel sherry casks.
Laphroaig QA Cask
Islay scotches are generally not drawn to much experimentation with cask finishing as much as distilleries in other regions, especially the peat/smoke heavy ones along the southern coast of the island near Port Ellen like Ardbeg and Lagavulin. Laphroaig likes to dabble into the alternative maturation waters, though mostly with their Cairdeas series. This Laphroaig QA is a travel retail exclusive in a liter bottle. The QA stands for Quercus Alba, the Latin name for white oak, a native hardwood found in eastern and central North America. The whisky is aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in charred QA casks.
Oban Little Bay
While Oban has been distilling for over two hundred years, their geographic restraints have kept them from growing into a truly giant place of production. For many years, their single malts were relegated to the 14 Year and Distillers Edition. Therefore it was a welcome surprise when they introduced a new No Age Statement offering to their lineup in 2015, the Oban Little Bay. The Scottish Gaelic name for the town, An t-Òban, means “little bay”. The single malt is blended in 200 liter ex-bourbon barrels, the smallest barrels available at the distillery. This was at one point their travel retail exclusive.