Today I’ll be reviewing the Paloma Caol Ila 12. A bottling by Goldfinch Whisky Merchants, finished in Palo Cortado Sherry Casks with a healthy ABV of 52%. In the world of Sherry Finishes, Palo Cortado is something special. Palo Cortado is a very rare sherry as only 1-2 percent of all pressed grapes can naturally develop into Palo Cortado. Because of the rareness of this sherry, you can rest assured that none of the Palo Cortado finishes have come from seasoned casks (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s a story for another time), giving an air of exlusivity to this dram.
The Paloma series showcases this Palo Cortado finish across different distilleries (Linkwood, Ardmore, Benrinnes and Caol Ila). Painting a beautiful picture of the different effects Palo Cortado can have on different types of whisky. My personal favourite was by far the Caol Ila, as I’m a sucker for a bit of sweet & peat. And thus a bottle (or two) came home with my after tasting it at a festival.
Tasting Notes: Paloma Caol Ila 12
Stats:
Age: 12 years old
ABV: 52% (104 proof)
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottled by: Goldfinch Whisky Merchants
Natural Colour: Yes
Chill-filtered: No
Nose:
A symphonie of red fruits and peat. Créme de Cassis finds a beautiful counterpart in charred sirloin steak. A forrest fruit tea spiced with hints of iodine. Bacon drippings drizzled with maple syrup. A port reduction on a venison steak. All these notes and more give off an air of exclusivity one might say.
Palet:
The smoke is turned up a notch on the palate with a peat bonfire dancing across the palate. Blackberry compôte, sweet plum chutney and apricot brandy do provide a counterpart to all that peat. But still, it’s the smoke that reigns supreme. And personally, I don’t mind that one little bit.
Finish:
The finish is medium long and where the nose was a beautiful balance of sweet and peat, the palet was peat dominant, here those black and blue forrest fruits reign supreme. Blueberry pancakes, forrest fruit marmelade and more of that Créme de Cassis from the nose linger beautifully on the finish of this Paloma Caol Ila 12.
Food Pairing:
I actually opened this bottle during a dinner party for the 20th anniversary of Café Zilt, where we paired it with some homemade stew from wild boar and venison. And that would be the pairing I’d advise anyone to try, it worked wonders! That having been said, this would work wonders with an old Gouda as well. Or, for those with a sweettooth, with chocolate fudge cheesecake!
Verdict:
This is an absolute stellar dram. The sweet and peat works wonders here. In fact the dram was so well received during the party I served it at, that I got multiple people asking me if I could still get them a bottle. Unfortunately… I could not. But if you do happen to find yourself looking at a bottle on the shelves somewhere, don’t hesitate for too long. This is a gem that you most assuredly will enjoy (as long as you’re into peat ofcourse).
