Cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural color.

The Retrofuturism mini-series, conceived by Club Qing, comprises five unique artworks. Retrofuturism, a movement in the creative arts, reflects the influence of past-era depictions of the future.

As inherently curious and imaginative beings, we constantly envision what the future might hold, a notion equally prevalent in both past and present times. The paintings in this series represent interpretations of future travel as imagined by people in the 18th century.

The fourth bottle in this series is an 11-year-old Caol Ila. Caol Ila is one of the few Scottish distilleries that has consistently produced high-quality whisky throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Its signature ashy and salty profile makes it a remarkable Islay whisky with immense popularity. This Caol Ila was distilled in 2013 and subsequently transferred to a fresh oloroso sherry solera cask in 2022, allowing the whisky to undergo secondary maturation and add a layer of complexity. The result is a multi-dimensional whisky, where the peat, ash, and coastal flavors are perfectly fused with the dry, nutty, and rich texture of oloroso sherry.

Nose: prominent wood influence, wet fishnet, bonfire, cold ash, leather jacket, tobacco leaves, antique cabinet, dried dates, dried plum, overnight pu'er tea, camphor, liquorice, overall quite intense.

Palate: dirty sherry profile, beautiful smoke, grilled ham, raisin, chocolate fudge, ripe oranges, dates soup, walnuts, and a cup of strong cold brew.

Finish: long; quite dry with dates, ash, walnuts liqeur.

Expect an intense experience from this dram. No matter where you are, it will be a coastal experience; like enjoying some dark cocoa and walnut liqeur while chillin' on the coastline enjoying some rather nice sea breeze.

Founded in 1846 on Islay’s north-east coast, Caol Ila (“sound of Islay”) peers across the strait to Jura and produces the island’s largest output—around 6.5 million liters a year—for Diageo’s malts and Johnnie Walker blends. Rebuilt in the early 1970s and re-imagined again in 2022 with a new visitor center, it forms the Islay “corner” of Diageo’s Four Corners of Scotland project.   

Six soaring stills, long fermentations and a relatively high spirit cut give Caol Ila a cleaner, citrus-and-sea-spray style of peat compared with its Islay neighbours. About 15 % of production is bottled as single malt—mostly refill-bourbon maturation that layers lemon, oystershell and gentle bonfire smoke; the rest underpins famous blends.