32 Caol Ila, part three


May 28, 2024

Caol Ila part three

We told you there would be more.

Caol Ila 10 yo 2012/2023 (55.8%, Hogshead Imports, 1st fill Caroni barrel, 44 bottles)

Caol Ila and Caroni together—it's probably pure madness, and more likely to taste like diesel. Thankfully, there were only forty-four bottles. Colour: gold. Nose: by Vishnu and Wittgenstein, it actually works! And yes, it smells strongly of diesel. Then lemon, slightly old seawater (from the rocks at low tide), shellfish, engine oil... With water: old clothes, mothballs, lavender... Mouth (neat): honestly, it feels more like Caroni than Caol Ila. I'm not exaggerating. Of course, we love Caroni, apart from a few exceptions, but this is a bit disconcerting. With water: blimey, yes it works, even though it's very much like rum, with a delightful petrolic character. Finish: very long, very Caroni-esque. A bacterial side in a malt whisky is quite something special. Comments: are we sure this isn't a Caroni ex-Caol Ila barrel? Once again, I hate the idea but love the result. The two components match perfectly, no matter how you look at it. I'm almost ashamed of this score…
SGP:467 - 90 points.

Caol Ila 2012/2023 (55.6%, Spencer Collings, 50th Anniversary, Marsala cask, cask #SC57, 262 bottles)

Lovely old-school labels, though I don't quite understand why Glenfiddich changed theirs (they've been rebranding non-stop in recent years). Anyway, let's move on… Colour: gold. Nose: we're really in old apple territory here, with cold ash, paraffin, shoe polish, lapsang souchong, and a very moderate amount of Italian raisins. With water: the style remains consistent, just with a bit more beeswax. Mouth (neat): yes, this works quite well, no clashes, but there's an old walnut wine and candle smoke character. With water: Caol Ila wins the fight and emerges first, like Daryl Hannah in 'Splash'. The fact is, the walnut aspect of Marsala pairs nicely with Caol Ila. Finish: the same, walnuts, smoke, leather… Comments: these are styles that work well (sherry, Madeira, Marsala) but can be a bit tiring. To be honest, I'd easily go for a second glass of natural or ex-bourbon Caol Ila, but absolutely never of a sherried Caol Ila (like). Unless it's an old Italian bottling…
SGP:566 - 84 points.

Well, if this wasn't predictable…

Caol Ila 15 yo (65.3%, Sestante, 75cl, +/-1985)

This is original Caol Ila, from before the distillery's reconstruction. Very likely a vintage from the late 1960s or early 1970s, and of course, from Gordon & MacPhail. Colour: white wine. Nose: immaculate, of absolute purity, with graphite, shellfish, sunflower oil, and pinewood ash. With water: sublime! Total purity, Malevich-like, white square on white background and all that. Mouth (neat): at over 65%, it's still vibrant, even after nearly forty years in the bottle. Ashes mixed with lemon juice, with just a hint of diesel fuel. A true bomb (well, not the best term given current events in this world… This planet should drink much more whisky, it would solve a lot of problems – agreed, and generate others.) With water: simply astounding, sublime, simple, ethereal, yet oily and massive. The finest lemon in the world, freshly squeezed. Finish: long, slightly mellowed, civilised, and waxy in the end. Comments: just incredible. It's a bit depressing to know it will never be bettered, they should display a bottle at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Certainly not at the MoMA, as the label is quite horrible. But they do say, ugly bottle, great whisky, don't they? Not so sure…
SGP:556 - 95 points.

Caol Ila 33 yo (44.5%, Hunter Laing, The Kinship, cask #HL20647, 300 bottles, 2023)

One of the lovely bottles offered by Hunter Laing while waiting for the first Ardnahoe releases. True, Ardnahoe is now out, but we had yet to taste this old Caol Ila from last year. A neighbour! There was already a 33-year-old Kinship Caol Ila in 2017, which was very, very beautiful. Colour: white wine. Nose: we find the eternal youth of old Caol Ilas, starting with apple, putty, and fresh baguette. Then a bit of white wine (Chardonnay – they might soon plant some on Islay, even though the rainfall is rather excessive, ha). After that, we begin to find vegetable broth, shellfish, a few little pink olives, and a bit of shoe polish. Very lovely, not tired in the slightest. The peat is gentle. Mouth: again, it starts a bit rough, young, almost brutal (green pepper, brine), but then the softness sets in, with touches of oil paint, linseed oil, langoustines, crabs, and oysters, followed by a bit of lemon and white apple. Indeed, the peat here is of medium strength. Finish: quite long, with that slightly rustic character lingering in the background, if you will. It has retained some of its youth. Apart from that, apple, lemon, and finally the proverbial ashes, along with touches of varnish and leather. Comments: I would love to taste a 60 or 70-year-old Caol Ila one day; I would bet it would still be as youthful as ever.
SGP:565 - 90 points.

Caol Ila 11 yo 2012/2023 (57.9%, The Whisky Cellar, Pintail, pineau des Charentes cask finish, cask #12038, 659 bottles)

Pineau, right. It's worth noting that while they've got nothing to do with each other (pineau is fortified grape juice), pineau and Sauternes do share some traits once whisky's been aged in them. Pineau can be kept in wood for ages, while Sauternes is typically bottled after one to three years or a little more. Colour: straw. Nose: a hint of salted butter caramel but also a lot of peat and very ripe apples. Smoky tarte tatin is not far off. With water: a lovely balance between ripe apples and sultanas on one side, and a touch of gasoline, seawater, virgin wool, and rubber on the other. Mouth (neat): it's good, we know these casks work well with peat. A kind of salty and smoky apple juice. With water: no dissonance, the combination continues to work. Finish: pleasant, a bit more herbaceous. A touch of grape stalk. Comments: it's frankly good, whether this kind of finishing is really necessary or not. The pineau softens the peat.
SGP:656 - 85 points.

Cao Ila 9 yo 2015/2024 (55.2%, Dràm Mor, French oak oloroso hogshead finish, cask #302611, 288 bottles)

Caol Ila 9 yo 2015/2024 (55.2%, Dràm Mor, French oak oloroso hogshead finish, cask #302611, 288 bottles)

Good one, a hogshead, French oak and oloroso. That's high cask technology (not implying they were high when they came up with the concept, right). Oh, and 2015, that was just yesterday, right? Lady Gaga et al. Colour: gold. Nose: it seems to work, even though it's very spicy and rather green, with notes of bell peppers. Then comes chocolate and a few whiffs of a well-kept stable, horse saddle… With water: it smells a bit like moussaka, used engine oil, and vinyl. Yes, I know… Mouth (neat): wow, it works. Very powerful, with sharp smoke, leather, tobacco, pepper, bitter oranges, and green walnuts. With water: similar, with more bitter oranges. Now, does it still taste like Caol Ila? Not so sure… Finish: long, with bitter chocolate and green tea. Pepper and peat in the aftertaste. Comments: they're a bit annoying with these bizarre things that work so well (of course they are not, S.).
SGP:567 - 86 points.

We said seven per flight and we're only at six…

Caol Ila 30 yo 1991/2021 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Xtra Old Particular, Black series, sherry hogshead, cask #DL 15245, 190 bottles)

Colour: copper/mahogany. Nose: oh! A box of cigars, incense burning in an old Buddhist temple, bags of prunes and bags of Smyrna raisins, old Demerara rum, chocolate filled with blueberry jam, then a little teak oil and fresh-waxed old furniture. Some time ago we also used to say 'old Jag'. The old Demeraras are then coming to the front, that's splendid. Mouth: stunning tango. Very heavy cask, immense pineyness, and yet it all works. In truth it may be flawed technically, way too woody, but these essential oils, thyme, fir wood, rosemary, raw chocolate and green oranges just do the trick impressively in my book. Finish: long, still very piney, but this time with some thick honey and marmalade in the background. Black raisins. Comments: this old Caol Ila, full of wood and sherry, is a bit bonkers, but you just can't resist this style. Long live the flaws! (But are they really flaws? Good question …) A magnificent and very extreme bottle.
SGP:586 - 92 points.

We still have plenty of old splendours from Caol Ila, stay tuned!

Check the index of all Caol Ila we've tasted so far