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| Hi, you're in the Archives, January 2026 - Part 2 |
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January 19, 2026 |
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Caol Ila in Utter Chaos, Part 4 and last |
Because it’s high time to put an end to this Caol Ila onslaught. After forty different expressions, we’ll call it a day—for now.
(Caol Ila
/Diageo) |
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Caol Ila 16 yo 1982/1998 (43%, Signatory, cask #1770-71, 896 bottles) 
A Caol Ila we had already tasted before 2002 (WF 89) but for which we hadn’t yet written up any proper tasting notes, though Rome wasn’t built in a day, was it. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: it’s fresh, very close to seawater, tight as a thong and packed with charcoal. Well-worn, naturally. Perfect, and even the low strength seems well suited. These are splendid vintages. Mouth: yes, truly perfect, very dry, stuffed with ashes like the ashtray of a cigar club at four in the morning, also brimming with oysters, though there’s little fruit, not even a touch of lemon. Finish: long, even more saline now, and by this point rather medicinal. Iodine, toothpaste, mercurochrome. Comments: it’s practically charcoal eau-de-vie. I don’t believe I’ll even bother changing my score from twenty-five years ago.
SGP:267 - 89 points. |
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Caol Ila 10 yo 2015/2025 (57.1%, Wilson & Morgan, Barrel Selection, 100 proof, 1stfill oloroso sherry finish, casks #302640-41-42-43, 1055 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: when you see peat and first fill sherry, you’re really only looking for one thing, balance. Let’s see… Well, it’s a success, nicely camphory with touches of wasabi, then candied oranges and the expected green walnut. It works like sheet music (Verdi’s, no less!) With water: peaty nocino! È una bomba! Mouth (neat): impressively compact, saline and very smoky. The sherry only punctuates it all without ever trying to take over, even if there’s a lovely bit of salted dark chocolate. With water: pepper and leather come crashing in, adding tension without upsetting the balance… slightly brutal now, though. Finish: very long, mustardy, peppery and crammed with walnuts. Comments: for a 10-year-old, I’m smitten.
SGP:467 - 88 points. |
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Caol Ila 15 yo 2010/2025 (56%, C. Dully Selection, bourbon hogshead, cask #17752, 266 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: the creamy, citrusy softness of a good bourbon hogshead, with smoked almonds, lemon curd, fresh seaweed and cider apples. I nearly forgot the obligatory oysters. Impeccable. With water: the oils emerge—almond, sunflower, hazelnut… Mouth (neat): the expected sharpness, the expected freshness, all the expected maritime elements, plus that slightly green ash that coats the whole. Lemon zest. With water: it stays perfectly defined, with flawless salinity and a fair dose of green pepper. Strongly marked yuzu or finger lime adds even more zing to the whole. Finish: long and pure, lime and seawater, with two or three green olives in the aftertaste. Comments: a modern—and more powerful—counterpart to the excellent 1982 with which we began this final session.
SGP:567 - 89 points. |
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Caol Ila 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘Wunderkammer’ (57.3%, Morisco Spirits, 1st fill oloroso, cask #58211, 307 bottles) 
There’s a lovely kind of Wunderkammer in Edinburgh, when climbing the Royal Mile towards the castle, on the right-hand side. But of course, our friends’ cellars are also a kind of Wunderkammers in their own way. Colour: amber orange. Nose: absolutely gorgeous, with aromas leaning towards orange and tobacco, plus oily waxes and a beach bonfire. Magnificent, truly. With water: it doesn’t shift, only showing a little more young walnut. Mouth (neat): lovely lovely lovely lovely. Smoked pepper, very dark chocolate, walnut liqueur, lemon (from Sicily, naturally), very dry white wine (Grillo again) … With water: oh well done! Finish: long, very salty, leather, tobacco, cardamom, pepper, horseradish, mustard… Comments: dry as a cane thrashing, as we say over here, utterly brilliant from start to finish.
SGP:367 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 1978/1992 (64.8%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #53.5)
This is the oldest Caol Ila from the SMWS we've ever tasted—only that rascal Angus sampled the very, very first ones. But 1978, of course, already means the new distillery… Still, beware the strength… Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s a different style altogether, leaning towards citrus, grapefruit, but also coconut, Scottish daiquiri, lime… But at these near-lethal strengths, that doesn’t necessarily mean much. With water: it really bursts forth with petrol, fresh tar, new sneakers, Barbour grease… You get the picture. Mouth (neat): it’s gorgeous, but it’s also very powerful. Medicinal citrus and peppers, let’s say, plus bitter paraffins. With water: a little more civilised, but only just. In truth, this brutality is rather magnificent, thanks to how those petroly, tarry, smoky notes unravel into myriad tiny touches of oils, truffle, rubber, lapsang souchong as often found in these whiskies, basil, coriander. Quite. Finish: very long and very salty, as you might imagine. Comments: all those early SMWS bottlings were rather spectacular. Brutal and rough-edged at the time, but after thirty years in bottle, they’ve mellowed a bit and grown more complex, to our great delight (I swear I don’t work and never worked for the honourable SMWS).
SGP:567 - 91 points. |
Since we are among the ancestors… |
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Caol Ila 22 yo 1974/1997 (54.4%, Signatory Vintage, cask #1974/46, 310 bottles)
Also from the new distillery. One can’t stress enough just how much impact those ‘dumpy’ Signatory bottles, in their improbably velvety boxes (even though I’m not sure it was already the velvet-covered boxes in this particular case), had on generations of whisky lovers keen to move beyond the often rather… uninspiring official bottlings. Colour: white wine. Nose: mad elegance, vegetal and petroly oils, top Chardonnay, olives, roasted pistachios… No need to pile on, it’s already sublime. With water: sublimissimo. Virgin wool, chalk, a brand-new scarf from the Islay Woollen Mill, bread dough, crabs from the Sound of Islay, local beer… It’s like standing right there, it’s insane. Mouth (neat): lemon and ashes, power ten, plus new rubber and seawater. No more, no less, and it’s spot on. Well, a few salted bitter almonds too. With water: the smoked and salted bitter almonds take over the fight. Good on them. Finish: long, magnificent, more bitter but also fatter. Comments: well, it was always going to be like this…
SGP:466 - 92 points. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 1992/2005 (46%, Duncan Taylor, Whisky Galore) 
We’d already tasted this wee one some 20 years ago, though not under ideal circumstances. Let’s put that right, shall we… Colour: gold. Nose: it’s charming, on roasted peanuts, fresh mastic, ski wax, tiny pickled lemons, almond milk… This time, the peat is discreet, just oily enough. Linseed oil. Mouth: yes, it’s good, on bitter almonds, seawater, green pepper, dark chocolate, tart apples, liquorice wood, gentian… Finish: fairly long, earthy, rooty, with a style that may feel a tad out of fashion. But we, for one, adore roots—in the literal sense, let’s leave cheap identity politics aside. Very salty aftertaste. Comments: a very lovely bottle, I believe the reduction to 46% followed by twenty years in bottle has done it a world of good.
SGP:467 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 30 yo 1995/2025 (50.9%, The Antelope & Kanpaikai, Dollar Cat #2, refill hogshead, cask #809708, 168 bottles)
Many good things come from these folks… Colour: gold. Nose: this is already a slightly rounded, mellowed, more complex old Caol Ila, yet still showing the distillate’s natural attributes, ashes, waxes, seaweed, faint medicinal touches (bandages), and almond oil, with wee notes of preserved lemon and zest from tiny grapefruits. Or pomelos, if you prefer. With water: more wax, paraffin, lamp oil… Mouth (neat): we’re at that stage where a little softness settles in with age, but absolutely not at the expense of the distillate, which remains very briny and ashy. There are hints of kimchi, pepper, even sake, though I promise you these impressions have nothing to do with the bottle’s geographical origin in the taster’s mind. Proof? There’s also a firm hit of manzanilla, stronger than usual. With water: the pepper takes the lead, hand in hand with salted liquorice. Finish: rather long, almost unchanged save for a slight tingle of chilli and those always surprising little touches of strawberry and mango in the aftertaste, which do sometimes pop up in peated Islay. Comments: a very fine bottle, sometimes old, sometimes young. Perhaps like those cats on the label, the ones with seven (or nine, depending on who you ask) lives.
SGP:466 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 32 yo 1992/2024 (51.8%, Whiskyland, Chapter Five, refill hogshead, 210 bottles)
2024? Once again we’re a little late to the party… Colour: dark straw. Nose: very, very, indeed quite astonishing, almost kicking off with verbena liqueur (Verveine du Velay). Then it moves through a few other herbal and liqueur-like notes (yellow Chartreuse) before settling back into the usual suspects of an old CI—shells, ashes, seaweed, gherkins, toasted sesame oil and even olive oil, which has turned up in several recent drams. It’s really quite perfect so far, let’s say it. With water: almond oil, pistachio oil, olive oil, bitter almonds, candle wax. We like that. Mouth (neat): back comes the olive oil, lemon, ash and smoked fish. It’s razor-sharp, just a touch chalky. With water: magnificently salty and briny, full of peppery ashes and 99% cocoa dark chocolate. In short, the beast holds its ground. Finish: long, fresh, peppery, ashy, always incisive. Comments: it’s no secret that Caol Ila is one of the, if not the peated malt that ages with the most grace, as though it were nearly immune to the passage of time. Here’s yet another piece of evidence.
SGP:466 - 91 points. |
Let’s finish with the oldest of them all; for once, we’re bringing a bit of logic to this smoky, salty chaos that’s gone on far too long… |
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Caol Ila 40 yo 1984/2025 ‘Something in the Water’ (51.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Artist #15, refill hogshead, cask #8484006286, 99 bottles)
A bottle adorned with another splendid piece by Radhika Surana, titled ‘Meandering through Relationships -1’. This certainly takes us far beyond those mahogany-veneered boxes and moulded crystal decanters often wheeled out for malts of this kind of pedigree. Colour: bronze gold. A nail? A patch? Nose: imagine a box of assorted fruit jellies and Turkish delights, some delicately smoked. Quince comes first, then fig, minty marzipan, followed by very floral hay and a few touches of patchouli. This is all infinite refinement and delicacy, and that’s not a polite euphemism to suggest it’s a bit muted—quite the opposite. With water: we dive into vegetal, coastal earth with abandon and delight (really). Mouth (neat): Provençal herbs coated in olive oil, a faint metallic edge that might be a by-product of the colour (inverted synaesthesia in action?) and a rather stunning herbal profile, somewhere between artisanal absinthe (from the Val-de-Travers, naturally) and green Chartreuse this time. Nothing here is quite normal, but it’s all rather marvellous. And brine, naturally. With water: it could almost be an old bottle as much as an old malt; one might even speak of OBE-like flavours after just a few months. We continue to drift along sea herbs. Finish: not very long, but wonderfully herbal, camphory and minty, very much in line with the old liqueurs mentioned above. Comments: a formidable old Caol Ila, marked by time—not a static number, not just a label (remember when ‘age was just a number’ was a thing, pre-crisis?), but time itself indeed, passing. We’ve had some deeply moving old whiskies in recent weeks, haven’t we. Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said only art can defeat time? Not too sure about that, but this bottle and its packaging are certainly magnificent in that regard.
SGP:465 - 91 points. |
Very well, we’ll have more Caol Ila soon—perhaps we’ll even manage to reach a thousand different expressions on this wretched little website before too long. Naturally, it would be the first distillery ever to hit that milestone, but all of this probably makes about as much sense as, to parahprase Lord Blackader, a cucumber with roller skates. |
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January 18, 2026 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
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The Rum Sessions,
today a selection of assorted and varied rums |
I think today we'll go from the sweetest to the saltiest of rums. Does that plan work for you? |
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Fortin ‘Guarani’ (40%, OB, Paraguay, +/-2025) 
A rum said to be organic, with a finishing of 6 months in maté casks, though we had no idea maté could be housed and matured in oak barrels. Unless, of course, this was merely a means of aromatising this modest little rum afterwards… Anyway, so far the Fortins we've tried had been rather all right, typically scoring between 65 and 75 points on our wee scale. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s soft, a little sweet, not particularly assertive but with hints of ripe banana and indeed black tea, then a faint touch of rubber. The whole isn’t unpleasant. Mouth: alas, there’s a sugary presence that makes the whole thing curiously liqueur-like and dry at the same time. Slightly ‘budget’ orange liqueur and similarly ‘budget’ cane syrup. Finish: short, sweet. Comments: a bit like a light Don Papa, if you see what I mean. I preferred the other Fortins I’ve tasted.
SGP:620 - 50 points. |
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Saint James ‘Nectar du Maître de Chai’ (40%, OB, Martinique, +/-2025) 
Colour: full gold. Nose: oops, this is spiced rum, with a maceration of prunes and vanilla. It’s far from unpleasant on the nose, it’s just not rum. My fault entirely, apologies for the lapse in attention. Mouth: very sweet. Cinnamon liqueur, gingerbread, heavily sweetened and spiced mulled wine. Finish: long, sticky. Comments: take this rough sketch of a score with a generous pinch of salt. Apologies again, we usually love Saint James.
SGP:820 - +/-60 points. |
Let’s quickly taste a proper rum that belongs to the same excellent group, La Martiniquaise… |
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Yellow Snake (40%, Island Signature, Rum Terroirs, Jamaica, +/-2025) 
This ‘Rum Terroirs’ series also includes releases from Mauritius, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. This one’s a blend of rather young Jamaican rums, let’s see if any esters decide to show up… Colour: pale gold. Nose: yes indeed, there are some lovely briny, metallic and tarry touches, and it’s unmistakably Jamaican, lightly so but with precision. Molasses, mentholated honey, cane juice. Mouth: this is really rather enjoyable, dry, a well-composed blend. Lemon, olives, liquorice, all in measured but well-present quantities. Would have had more punch at 45 or 46% vol. Finish: fairly long, dry, spicier. Cinnamon, curry, green walnut, a salty touch, and a wee dab of tapenade. Comments: a lovely Jamaican blend, goes down without trouble, even at room temperature.
SGP:362 - 82 points. |
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Neisson ‘Profil Équilibre Carole Aurore Assemblage Mizunara’ (52.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, LMDW Itinéraires, 2025) 
Half of this assemblage was matured in mizunara oak casks, that ‘very rare’ variety which, curiously enough, seems to be used by virtually every spirits brand on the planet at some point or other, even Chivas. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s true you do pick up a faint mentholy and resinous edge, layered over the usual pure cane, earthy and mineral profile. A lovely touch of lime. With water: essential oils and natural shampoo, we’re not far off a Finnish sauna. Mouth (neat): this is very good, a little unusual and ‘world’, but the combination of pu-ehr tea and pine bud liqueur, mingled with rather saline cane, works a treat. Lovely lime as well. With water: the cane, still saline and quite mineral, takes the lead again, but the pine bud and lime linger on. Finish: fairly long, with no major shifts, except a surprising aftertaste that reminds one of a cross between fino and sake. I swear. Comments: rather experimental, but I quite like it, even if I prefer my Neisson in its natural state, as with all the ‘grands crus’, for that matter.
SGP:371 - 83 points. |
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Foursquare 8 yo ‘Old Bajan Numéro 6’ (59.1%, Les Frères de la Côte, 950 bottles, 2025)
This youngster was aged in bourbon casks in Barbados, then shipped to France aboard a sailing boat, where it was finished in a fine de Meursault cask. In short, another playful assemblage… Colour: full gold. Nose: Foursquare takes charge from the start, and quite right too. Lovely oils (sesame, peanut) and notes of bagasse, biscuits, light honey and beeswax. With water: doesn’t budge an inch. Light linseed oil touches. Mouth (neat): once again, the fine de Bourgogne remains very discreet, letting the rum’s lemons and oranges speak for themselves, alongside that typically oily and metallic edge. Perhaps the faintest hint of kirsch. With water: Foursquare all the way, and one almost gets the impression there’s a healthy proportion of pot still in the mix. Lovely grey pepper. Finish: medium length, with a pepperiness that builds steadily. Comments: Foursquare 1 - Fine de Meursault 0. But of course we love Meursault…
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Providence 3 yo 2022/2025 (52.4%, OB, Port au Prince Distillery, La Maison & Velier, Haiti)
Let’s be honest, we greatly enjoyed the earlier official releases of Providence (2021/2024, WF 86). I find Providence fits nicely somewhere between the very gentle Barbancourts and the wild clairins (which we adore). Colour: pale gold. Nose: we’re very close to pressed cane and bagasse, with some rather striking whiffs of banana with menthol (yes, really), which are quite seductive. With water: humus, patchouli, bidis and a return of the banana, though no menthol this time. Mouth (neat): even better on the palate, the salinity is rather sublime and brings a kind of tension that whisks you straight off to the banks of the Guadalquivir. Lemon, mustard, olives, sugarcane, tequila. It’s a truly singular profile, and that’s precisely what makes it so compelling. With water: it settles and softens slightly, but the profile doesn’t shift an inch. Finish: same again. A nice arrival of liquorice, close to a handcrafted pastis. Wormwood. Comments: I get the impression this is coming along nicely…
SGP:552 - 87 points. |
Let’s move on to the heavy hitters… |
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Clarendon Estate 12 yo (56.8%, Dràm Mor, Jamaica, cask #1814, 307 bottles, 2025)
It’s always a pleasure to see British independents taking an interest in rum, though we’ve already tasted marvels from the likes of Cadenhead and G&M. Ah, that Long Pond 1941! Though we’re not talking about the specialists here, like Bristol Spirits… Colour: full gold. Nose: this isn’t a particularly heavy Clarendon, which allows a lovely finesse to emerge—fig leaf, rubber tree, seaweed, small pink olives and quite simply pink grapefruit and passion fruit. I find it all very pretty, very elegant. With water: retreats slightly towards petrol. Mouth (neat): some funk and citrus, let’s say. The rubber tree note is more pronounced, and there’s a caipirinha-like character that’s great fun. In theory, water will sort out the molecules… With water: indeed, we reach a very fine salinity that plays beautifully with the lemon and a light tarry side. Finish: long, with consistent flavours. Comments: a very fine wee bottle, nicely representative of the high standards at Dràm Mor. And once again, apologies—I really can’t manage the accent on the o in Mor. Blame it on French keyboards.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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New Yarmouth 15 yo 2009/2025 (59.8%, Bedford Park, Jamaica, bourbon, cask #1, 221 bottles)
Cask #1, really! What an honour… Actually, the label reminds me of the first time I listened to ‘Dark Side’, quite a long time ago now. Colour: gold. Nose: boom. Ultra-precision, tar, carbon, wee lemons, sea water. Nothing more, but that’s more than enough. With water: old bicycle inner tube. Mouth (neat): elementally perfect. A mix of lemon juice, diesel fumes, liquorice juice and sea water. That’s it, one could almost call this a nudist distillate. With water: sublime in its tarry and saline purity. Finish: same story. Comments: almost a <DOK, couldn’t be more stripped back. It’s practically constructivist—Malevich and all that, The White Album etc. Not my business, but personally, I’d have gone for a completely white label. Though I agree, that wouldn’t quite resonate online—and on the Web, white kills…
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
We'll finish with a Caroni, alright? |
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Caroni 27 yo 1998/2025 (57.6%, The Colours of Rum for Absolutely Nuts, This Time No Colours, Edition No.2, Trinidad, 91 bottles)
A Hampden finish here—it had to happen eventually, didn’t it? Of course, and the name ‘Absolutely Nuts’ suits us just fine, as one might even glimpse the spirit of the Malt Maniacs here. No limits, ad nauseam. Colour: amber gold. Nose: well, this is rather gentler than expected—it doesn’t rip the nostrils apart or rush straight up the olfactory bulb into the brain. Instead, we’re getting notes of smoked pistachio chocolate, toasted sesame oil and soft, almost childlike liquorice. Though in the background, make no mistake, there is tar, old cloth and pine sap. With water: majestic cedarwood, think Cedros de Luxe. Cigar lovers will get it. Mouth (neat): perfect salinity, with varnish, tar and extremely salty pickles. In fact, it’s not just saline, it’s downright salty. With water: perfection achieved, whatever the path. The wood is still very much present, but it’s been tamed. Still plenty of salt—indeed, pure NaCl. Finish: very long, on brined pickles and homemade kimchi. Comments: I’m rather proud of myself—this follows the New Yarmouth perfectly. But these babies… are exhausting.
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted
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January 17, 2026 |
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Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland |
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Closed Highlanders (Mostly!)
Every so often a variety of samples from closed distilleries accumulates on my shelf, which is always fun as these sessions are a joy to do and increasingly tinged with emotion as the distance in time since these distilleries were closed, and since bottlings of their makes were more ubiquitously available, has grown considerably. |
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However, we will kick off with a wee aperitif which is a bit of a stretch to say bears any connection to this tasting, other than that it purports to be a 'Highland' malt whisky... |
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Secret Highland 35 yo 1985/2020 (47.4%, Mancarella for Scotch 88 Ukrainian Whisky Community, cask #13, hogshead, 88 bottles) 
Thinking of, and sending solidarity to, all our friends in Ukraine. And wishing an eternity of Loch Dhu and tonic upon Mr Putin! Colour: gold. Nose: oils of the mineral and olive variety, plus waxed hessian, Barbour grease, lamp oil and citrus rinds. Continues with beeswax and linseed oil. Classically old school with these waxy and textural qualities but rounded out beautifully by age. Mouth: same characteristics, really on olive oil, sandalwood, copper coins, mineral oils, bouillon, camphor and wee hints of dried parsley, suet and ink. There's a fragile austerity that is very charming. Finish: medium, slightly herbal, and with a lovely crystalised honey note that brings a sudden feeling of late sweetness. Comments: excellent, extremely quaffable and charmingly old school, very 'old highlands' in a way that makes you think more of Clynelish than Glenmorangie - which this is rumoured to be. Also brings to mind some great, aged dry chenin.
SGP: 451 - 89 points. |
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With these closed distilleries, we'll try to ascend in theoretical order of weight. |
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Caperdonich 23 yo 1980/2004 (58%, Cadenhead 'Authentic Collection', bourbon hogshead, 252 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: paraffin, wet leaves, mossy bark and clay! Another nose that also suggests mineral and olive oil qualities. I fear this theory of 'lightest to heaviest' is DOA! This is superb though, some honeys, waxes, wee beery vibes and all manner of oils, varnish and green herbs. With water: herbs, nettles, oils and camphor galore! Mouth: herbal and flower teas, a lot more pure honey notes, flower honey, beeswax etc. Then back on these beery notes with hops, citrus peels, camphor and more mineral oil and clay. With water: much broader, fatter, sootier and drier, with a peppery side emerging that's really terrific. Finish: long, peppery, slightly salty and herbal, with more waxy and oily qualities. Comments: a very big and very excellent old Caperdonich! The love child of old Glen Grant and Convalmore - arguably.
SGP: 562 - 90 points. |
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Dallas Dhu 18 yo 1977/1995 (59.7%, Cadenhead 'Authentic Collection' for USA)
Looks like I really enjoyed a sibling cask of this back in 2019 (WF90), and at that time declared my next Dallas Dhu tasting would be July 2025 - we're not actually that late by Whiskyfun standards! Colour: pale straw. Nose: once again, superb! A wonderful oiliness and sense of pure waxiness, there's also lots of putty, clay, white flowers, plasticine and some lovely coal scuttle and watercress impressions. Another of these old school 'highland' profiles that seems all about texture and fatness., only here there's an element of precision that elevates everything. With water: even fatter and waxier now, candle wax and Barbour grease galore, with honey roast parsnip, dried herbs, suet and cask aged mead. Wonderful! Mouth: full on mineral oils, tiger balm, sooty waxy qualities, pebbles, chalk, herbal tea, camphor, ink, waxed hessian and faint medicinal notes. Also a fantastic impression of freshly sheared sheep wool. Very impressive palate! With water: same feelings, an elevated sense of waxy and textural quality, but perfectly balanced by more of these mead and honey characteristics. Also slight vegetal and earthy notes bringing impressions of bouillon, mustard powder and petrichor. Finish: long, drying, waxy, slightly salty and back on leafy, earthy and mineral qualities. Comments: probably up there with the best Dallas Dhu ever bottled, I'll even go one point higher than its sibling from a few years ago, the fatness, oiliness and overall waxiness are superb!
SGP: 462 - 91 points. |
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Convalmore 14 yo 1981 (61%, Whisky Connoisseur, cask #1150) 
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: a little compact and shy at first, some herbal impressions such as chives and parsley, also a little peppery but that may be the high ABV. A little time and it gets chalkier, some lemon powder, white mushroom - so far a tad austere. With water: gets heavy on the plasticine and a slight tinge of washing powder. Mouth: hmm, not too sure, also an austere profile, with these lemon powder notes returning in a slightly chemical way. Some funny impressions of concrete, cement and wet plaster. With water: it's fine, but we're some distance from Convalmore's usual stately excellence. A faint feeling of something chemical still lingers... Finish: medium, a little porridgey. Comments: an austere and funny profile that was far more common in the 1990s but that's hardly ever seen today. The great highs came with weird lows, and now both have arguably been ironed out. Make of that what you will...
SGP: 531 - 75 points. |
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Banff 23 yo 1976/2000 (54.5%, Signatory Vintage 'Silent Stills' for USA, cask #2250, 245 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: it's been a while since I had a Banff, but they really do immediately make you think of mustard and waxes! Mustard seed, powder, curry leaf, beeswax, church candles etc. This one also leads with tiger balm, tiny coastal inflections and beautiful savoury vibes that bring to mind white miso paste and peppery watercress. Power, but also elegance and beauty! With water: a little greener, a little fresher and more citric, also more mineral, more precise and more chiselled! Mouth: terrific! Superbly waxy, drenched in camphor, soft coastal notes, sandalwood, pollens, a drizzle of seawater in a jar of flower honey, more miso, hessian, coal dust and preserved lemon. Brings to mind some Broras of similar pedigree. With water: brilliant! Waxes, mustard powder, beach pebbles, mineral salts, hessian, herbal cough syrups and teas. Finish: long, beautifully drying, mineral, fat, waxy and peppery. Comments: somewhere between Brora and top tier Montrachet! I forget how much I love Banff!
SGP: 462 - 92 points. |
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Brora 13 yo 1982/1995 (60.4%, Cadenhead 'Authentic Collection')
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: extremely typical. We're immediately all about sheep wool, beach pebbles, bone marrow, kerosine, clay, rainwater, bark, potting shed earthiness, and - of course - waxes! It's funny how these final vintages of Brora often closely recall some of the pre-Brora Clynelish in style, I suppose it makes sense that you would remove the peat and find the original still somewhat intact. With water: cut grass, muddled green herbs, lemon rind, grapefruit and more definite seawater impressions. Beach sand and faint hints of wood smoke and even some lapsing souchong tea. Mouth: it's really all about the texture, the sense of fatness, the weight of the distillate that really sings. Assertive peppery and waxy notes, softer coastal notes in the background, delicate salinity, cooking and mineral oils, more sheep wool impressions and things like ink, crushed nettle and salted honey. Even without peat, this was a huge whisky. With water: fatter and waxier still, but more singular and cohesive. Settles into a more honeyed, gentle profile, some lingering salt and pepper notes, some dried seaweed, some more sheep woold that keeps that farmyard personality alive. Finish: long, perfectly between drying coastal notes, dried out honeys and jumbled minerals. Comments: I suppose it’s very easy to overlook these younger 1980s Brora bottlings given they don't quite have the magisterial impact of the early 1970s vintages. But they have their own charm and this sense of coming full circle, back to something like 1960s Clynelish, is really wonderful and quite moving. I still prefer the Banff on this occasion though.
SGP: 463 - 91 points. |
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January 16, 2026 |
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Caol Ila in Utter Chaos, Part 3/4 |
Yesterday, we mentioned the Caol Ilas distilled at the old distillery, so up until 1972, the year it was more or less demolished ahead of being rebuilt. Let’s see what we can do…
The 'old' Caol Ila Distillery (Diageo) |
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Caol Ila 16 yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Sestante, 75cl, +/-1985)
Gordon & MacPhail held considerable stocks of Caol Ila distilled between 1965 and 1972, most notably from 1969, likely the vintage behind this bottling for Sestante. It’s worth noting that the 1969 16yo ‘old brown banner label’ (WF 93) was magnificent despite its low strength, and this could well be the same batch, shipped unlabelled and later tagged by the importer. Colour: gold. Nose: everything has merged, unified in a dense tapestry of ointments, oils, waxes, and old herbal liqueurs. Irresistibly charming. You reach a point where it becomes impossible to separate the aromas, so tertiary, so intrinsic to the spirit in the glass, that analysis gives way to experience. And perhaps that’s exactly how it should be. Mouth: it brings to mind the Brora 1972s from G&M, slightly worrying at first due to the low ABV, then astonishingly complex and explosive once tasted. Let’s just say it’s the best smoked and salted butter caramel on earth, with a fragility that paradoxically becomes a strength. Finish: inevitably a little short but now comes the parade of missed notes, bergamot and kumquat, smoked fish, incense and ashes. Comments: a Mozart quartet.
SGP:444 - 93 points. |
How to carry on from here? … At random! |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 2012/2025 (52.3%, James Eadie, Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland, recharred American oak hogshead, cask #313104, 314 bottles)
Colour: chardonnay. Nose: not an easy follow-up to the Sestante, but this one holds its own for now, in a style completely opposite, creamier, more polished, thanks to the assertive oak. That said, freshness remains: smoked lemon, oysters, brine, wet ashes… With water: unchanged. Mouth (neat): it works, rich, slightly spicy (cask ‘curry’), but also full of excellent fruit pastes, quince, orange... With water: the saltiness now emerges from the wood. The oak itself is a touch dominant (nutmeg, pepper, ginger). Finish: fairly long, quite cask-driven, with lingering spice. Comments: blind, you’d almost think it was an official bottling. Very good, just a little wee bit too oaky for my personal taste.
SGP:556 - 83 points. |
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Caol Ila 15 yo 2007/2023 (53.4%, Sansibar for Casa de Vinos Whisky Abbey Festival, bourbon cask, 150 bottles)
A Scottish-German-Australian bottling, makes perfect sense, doesn’t it. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s a blade, lemon juice and seawater, cuts straight through the sinuses, really ought to be covered by social security. With water: sea spray and coastal breeze, straight from the west coast of Scotland. Mouth (neat): ultra-classic, therefore perfect, tense, lemony, ashy, salty. Nothing much to add, it’s textbook. With water: lemon and grapefruit reinforce the tautness of the whole. Finish: unwavering, and it goes on, and on, and on… right up to that green pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: a whisky like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.
SGP:467 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 16 yo 2008/2025 (54.8%, Liquid Treasures and The Whisky Fair, Barbados rum barrique finish, Love & Peace series, 274 bottles)
A 40-month finishing, let’s be honest, at that point we’re just calling it double maturation. Colour: gold. Nose: not especially defined at this stage, though attractive. Water will be key here. With water: I must admit, I’m a little lost, it feels like Caol Ila light. Mouth (neat): the rum cask influence is clearly present, but it doesn’t clash, it’s just a bit… ambivalent, shall we say. With water: much more to our liking now, the whisky has taken back control and the poor rum, which probably didn’t ask for any of this, has more or less gone back to bed. Finish: fair length, fairly rounded. Comments: the finishing seems to have nudged this toward a halfway point between classic Caol Ila and some sort of unpeated ‘Highland’ version of Caol Ila. It’s good, very good even, but was it strictly necessary? Still, love, peace and understanding indeed.
SGP:555 - 81 points. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 2013/2025 (54.5%, Signatory Vintage for LMDW Plume, Itinéraires, sherry butt)
There’s been a fair bit of buzz around this one, and it’s high time we gave it a go. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: salted butter caramel. I repeat, salted butter caramel. Then an old fishing trawler docked in a Breton harbour. Presumably it would smell much the same in a Scottish port, only more of whisky than langoustine. With water: hints of varnish, kirsch and amaretti. Mouth (neat): oh it works, pipe tobacco, amaro, hot peppered chocolate, nocino and Arquebuse (you know Arquebuse?). With water: now it’s the peppercorns leading the charge, especially freshly crushed black pepper. Finish: long, very herbal and spicy, probably miles from ‘the distillery’ but through divine intervention, it all comes together this time. Roasted aubergines and bitter chocolate. Comments: a bit of a UFW (1), borderline garage whisky.
SGP:466 - 88 points.
(1) Unidentified Flying Whisky. |
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Caol Ila 13 yo 2012/2025 (53.1%, Decadent Drams, first fill sherry hogshead, 212 bottles)
You can sense from the label that the Decadent Drinks team has some background in the appreciation of flamenco. Colour: amber. Nose: very close to a salty amontillado, packed with walnuts, damp earth and even dried morels. Beneath that, heavily salted butter caramel and wood varnish. With water: lovely acetic and balsamic touches. Mouth (neat): superb bitterness, black pepper, curry, 90% dark chocolate, sherry vinegar and heavily salted jerky. With water: not much change, and that’s a good thing. Finish: same again, only more peppery and bone dry. Brings to mind dark chocolate with chilli, said to be good for you, apparently. Comments: for fans of very dry sherry and peat in tandem. Your humble servant, for instance.
SGP:266 - 89 points. |
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Caol Ila 15 yo 2009-2010/2025 (57.1%, Decadent Drams, first fill sherry hogshead, 252 bottles)
This flamenco fixation is becoming a real theme! But we do love flamenco too… and we all remember that magical trio: Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia. Colour: amber. Nose: similar style, though less flamboyant, less acetic and saline, more focused on peat and walnuts, with touches of leather and tobacco. Feels slightly closed, especially after the devilish 2012, but water should sort that out. With water: the tobacco rises to the fore. Mouth (neat): we’re back in 2012 territory, though leaning more toward bitter oranges and lapsang souchong. With water: here the salinity takes the lead, think a rather extreme manzanilla. Finish: same story, lovely length. Black pepper and chilli in the aftertaste. Comments: water is absolutely essential with this one. We also suspect that both of these excellent bottles will benefit from cellaring, or a spot on the darkest shelf.
SGP:366 - 89 points. |
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Caol Ila 14 yo 2010/2024 (55.9%, The Whisky Blues, ex-Jamaican rum JMWP barrel, cask #318192, 217 bottles)
JMWP is of course Worthy Park, so let’s see whether this tango between Islay and rum finds its rhythm here, though one wouldn't be too sure, it might well jar. Colour: light gold. Nose: the combination is most earthy, with pronounced tincture of iodine and a faint sulphurous edge. Cabbage soup and spent fireworks. With water: it calms down, Caol Ila reasserts itself, showing some lovely notes of damp ashes and mint infusions, although one wonders whether the latter might be born of the malt-rum coupling. Mouth (neat): very intense, ultra-briny and peppery, you get the sense that the rum and the Islay are taking turns boosting each other, and perhaps it all goes a wee bit too far... With water: once again, it’s Islay that carries the day. Ashes, lemon, seawater. Finish: same elements. A return of fairly assertive pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: a very good Caol Ila but one that rather nudges you out of your comfort zone and may well lose you a little.
SGP:466 - 84 points. |
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Caol Ila 13 yo 2010/2023 (55.4%, Whisky Age, refill barrel, cask #319312, 220 bottles)
This one ought to be far more classical… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: indeed, it’s very fresh, on oysters and clams, lemon, fresh seaweed and a touch of wax, then some ashes but of the gentlest sort. With water: a chiselled Caol Ila, of great purity. Mouth (neat): perfect, lemony, brisk, still on ashes and oysters. Entirely clean-cut, simple yet effective, not the faintest hitch. With water: lovely medicinal touches appear, cough syrup, camphor, fir honey, eucalyptus pastilles… Finish: fairly long, precise, saline, very lovely. Comments: tremendous purity here, we’re smitten.
SGP:566 - 88 points. |
Let’s finish with another young oldie… |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 1982/1994 ‘Cask Strength’ (62.4%, The Cooper’s Choice, VA.MA Italy)
We’d tasted another 1982 (b. 1995) Cask Strength by Cooper’s Choice just two days ago, and it had been excellent. Colour: white wine. Nose: lighter peat than in more recent vintages at a similar age, with a profile leaning more towards apple than lemon, yet brimming with elegance. Redcurrant, sauvignon blanc, spent matchboxes, oil lamp… In reality we’re clearly in close territory to the previous one. With water: chalk and fresh mint, then the usual virgin wool. From Islay sheep, naturally. Mouth (neat): lemons make a comeback, alongside plum eau-de-vie and vin jaune… But heavens, this is powerful! With water: perfect trio of green apple, smoked salmon and oysters. Finish: long and a little fattier, bringing to mind lemon-infused olive oil, though that’s not exactly my favourite. Comments: so we’d tasted that 1982 by Cooper’s Choice some years ago which had been simply sublime (WF 91) but that one was 30 years old. These younger versions are magnificent too, but even after thirty years in bottle, they haven’t yet attained that ultimate polish. I suspect we might have to wait another 30 years to reach that kind of level.
SGP:466 - 89 points. |
Very well, that makes thirty Caol Ilas for now. I think on Monday we’ll push it to forty and stop there. |
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January 15, 2026 |
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Caol Ila in Utter Chaos, Part 2/4 |
Without further ado, let’s pick up where we left off yesterday …
(Caol Ila
/Diageo) |
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Caol Ila 8 yo (48%, Wilson & Morgan, Quercus Alba, 2024)
An amusing mention of Quercus alba, white oak, in other words, American oak, which must represent around 90% of the wood used for whisky maturation in Scotland, whether ex-bourbon or ex-sherry. Colour: white wine. Nose: immediate wafts of iodine tincture, then more classic Caol Ila notes, sea water and kelp, with a rather elegant and restrained smoke. A couple of oysters and an old tin of white paint forgotten in a Scottish warehouse. Mouth: chiselled, smoky, lemony and saline, ultra-classic. Excellent. Finish: the usual and rather irresistible combo of ashes, lemon juice and brine. Comments: this young bairn gets the job done to perfection. In fact, the peat is fairly punchy for a Caol Ila.
SGP:557 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 17 yo 2007/2024 (49%, Cut Your Wolf Loose, refill bourbon hogshead, 285 bottles)
Everything feels nicely aligned here. Colour: pale gold. Nose: a little lighter and less peaty than the 8-year-old, starting off on petrichor and damp hay smoke, then warm bread dough. In the background, an empty seafood platter, post-meal. Mouth: this shifts into more classic territory, smokier, drier, more ‘fino’, with plenty of ashes, green walnut, and the expected oysters. There’s also a touch of chlorophyll. Finish: fairly long, quite singular, with something akin to smoky chlorophyll syrup, should such a thing exist. A whisper of Maggi and mint lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: more singular than the young Wilson & Morgan, and just as much to my liking.
SGP:456 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 8 yo 2016/2025 (44.3%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills of Scotland, barrel, 653 bottles)
A house we’ve always held in high regard, they were instrumental in introducing malt to France under the Auxil label. Colour: white wine. Nose: the fruitiest so far, with immediate but subtle notes of pineapple and mango that marry well with CI’s trademark coastal freshness. Then grapefruit, ashes and oysters take over, followed by seaweed. Mouth: saltier, more 'sea water', lively yet disarmingly charming, lemony, with notes of kippers but dominated by ash. Delightful. Finish: a light duet of liquorice wood and gentian, not unusual for this profile. Good length and excellent freshness. Comments: yet again, a slightly different profile, but overall quality remains consistent, meaning excellent.
SGP:566 - 87 points. |
Right then, something even younger, though in our modest experience, peat easily adds the equivalent of five extra years in terms of perceived maturity. So 10 = 15, if you like. |
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Caol Ila 2017/2024 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Intercaves, 2nd fill Barbaresco finish, cask #67583)
When it comes to red wine finishes, we tend to think second fill is better than first fill. And perhaps third fill better still, but let’s not stir up too much trouble… Colour: pale gold, with the faintest salmon hue, nearly invisible. Nose: the wine influence is certainly there but remains discreet, some lingonberries perhaps. Otherwise, a young and flawless Caol Ila in classic form. But it’s the palate that really matters in this kind of setup… Mouth: similar impression, a slightly grippy vinosity appears, yet the balance of ashes and seawater isn’t disturbed. Let’s just say we’ve moved from grapefruit to pink grapefruit. Perhaps… Finish: good length, more saline, but without slipping into any sweet-salty territory. Comments: I still prefer the naked versions, but I must admit this little one was put together with care, and it’s very good indeed.
SGP:566 - 84 points. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo 2010/2023 (56.4%, Whisky Age, refill barrel, cask #319311, 209 bottles)
True artists behind these labels, cooler than Mr Grok, really. Here it’s MasonYin, worth a search. Colour: white wine. Nose: perhaps it’s the higher strength, but this one feels much oilier and fatter than the others, pistachio oil, olive oil, before moving on to roots, carrots, seaweed, and even winkles. With water: penetrating now, penetrating oil, motor oil, then chalk and virgin wool. Mouth (neat): some rather unusual petroly notes for CI, paraffin, damp cardboard… I reckon water will sort that out. With water: still a bit of that cardboardy and even faintly cologne-y edge, otherwise we’re back on ashes and seawater. Finish: long, briny, almost slightly vinegary. And yes, still a touch of wet cardboard. Comments: a rather unusual cask, this isn’t your textbook ultra-clean Caol Ila. But it’s still very good.
SGP:565 - 84 points. |
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Caol Ila 1984/2000 (59.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, CASK, cask #6098-6101)
The 1984s haven’t always been magical under the Connoisseurs Choice label, but this one might be a different beast. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: immaculate, candle wax, ashes, sea water and shellfish. What’s lacking here, compared to younger vintages, is citrus. On the other hand, there’s plenty of mercurochrome so far. With water: as is often the case with G&M at cask strength, the whisky turns quite cloudy once diluted. The nose becomes gorgeous, fresh paint, mostly. Mouth (neat): this time it’s apples and lemons, plus peppered olives. Rather fatty, and absolutely splendid. With water: fantastic, and still very powerful at around 45% vol., our favourite reduction level. Cough syrup, but the kind that would cure much more than a cold. Finish: very long, with a pinch of chilli pepper added to that syrupy mix. Slight camphor in the aftertaste. Comments: loads going on here, this is simply excellent.
SGP:567 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 1984/1996 (50%, Moon Import, Dovr-Toutes-Mares)
We have always wondered what on earth that series’ name was supposed to mean. Now that we’ve got ChatGPT, we dared to ask, and it turns out even it hasn’t got a clue. For once, no made-up answers. Likely something to do with ancient geography, going by the labels, but certainly not Latin. Colour: white wine. Nose: here comes the beeswax and paraffin, overripe apples, whelks and clams, with very soft, almost vanishing peat. With water: old wax polish and the interior of a vintage car, not necessarily Italian, with freshly polished leather seats. Mouth (neat): indeed, it’s rounder, more honeyed and waxier than the G&M, though still with plenty of grip. Moules mariniere and cédrat liqueur. With water: you’d never guess it was just twelve years old, ashes, brine, olives and maritime smoke return. The wax has almost faded. Almost. Finish: fairly long, on the classic trio of oysters, ashes and lemon. The beeswax comes back in the aftertaste. Comments: excellent stuff, I’m quite sure the 29 years in bottle have done it a world of good.
SGP:556 - 90 points. |
Let’s get back to the young ones… |
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Caol Ila 17 yo 2008/2025 (57.5%, Fadandel, ex-bourbon quarter cask, cask #314559)
The size of a quarter cask can vary depending on whether it's a quarter of a barrel, a butt, or something else entirely. Laphroaig’s quarter casks, for instance, hold around 130 litres, not exactly a quarter of an ASB. So yes, it’s a bit messy… Colour: full gold. Nose: gentle wafts of menthol, clearly a more active cask, but balance hasn’t been compromised in the slightest. Some rubber and seaweed. With water: phew, we were worried, but while the wood is very present, the distillate holds its ground. At first, it feels like someone smoking a Kool menthol cigarette. Not in Europe though, apparently that’s been banned since 2020, so I’ve just learnt. Mouth (neat): creamy, courtesy of the cask. Beyond that, ashes, pepper, curry, oyster, lemon… With water: this is where it becomes more classic, even if the wood remains prominent. Brine, pepper, turmeric, ashes and so on. Finish: very long and even spicier. Comments: perhaps not the ideal dram to follow those sublime 1984s from G&M and Moon, but didn’t we agree to taste things at random?
SGP:567 - 85 points. |
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Port Askaig 16 yo 2008/2025 (54.2%, Elixir Distillers for LMDW Itinéraires)
Yesterday’s bottling for Germany leaned into new or activated oak, this one may prove quite different. Colour: gold. Nose: ultra-precise, almost skeletal but in the best possible way, so p.r.e.c.i.s.e. Like dousing a fire in a limestone hearth with seawater. With water: more classically coastal now, new wool jumper and wafts of boot polish. Mouth (neat): much more texture here, and while the oak clearly had its say, the lemon crème with green pepper and paprika feels rather refined. With water: it finds balance, though the wood remains active, lemon tart, heavily steeped green tea, ginger, cigar ashes. Finish: long, always dancing between active wood and saline, ashy freshness. A whisper of coconut on the aftertaste, even a touch of Thai broth. Comments: excellent, very modern, focused, and full of intent.
SGP:666 - 86 points. |
I think we’re at nine, we did say ten at a time, so just one more for today. Maybe another old one? |
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Caol Ila 24 yo 1974/1998 (53.3%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #53.32, 325 bottles)
One of the early fillings from the newly rebuilt Caol Ila distillery, which had just emerged from a complete reconstruction. Strangely, many 1974s popped up among the independents, but then again the distillery’s production capacity had just been significantly increased. Colour: pale gold. Nose: oh yes, manzanilla, lemon juice, green walnut, smoked salmon, vin jaune, a touch of curry, a smidgen of mustard, it’s all eminently coherent. With water: just add two or three drops of mercurochrome. Mouth (neat): perfect, creamy, packed with citrus and ashes. The precision is so sharp it’s almost embarrassing. With water: it shifts gears entirely, luminous salinity, eucalyptus, and a medley of ashes in all styles. Pine, charcoal, tobacco, beech, hay… Finish: long, salty and bitter in the most beautiful way. Bark, roots… Only the aftertaste feels slightly raspy and a touch coarse. Comments: as the saying goes, here’s a whisky that had plenty to say, and said it with firm conviction.
SGP:566 - 91 points. |
We’ll try to taste some Caol Ila from the old distillery starting tomorrow. For now, good night. |
(Thank you again, KC and Tom) |
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Best spirits Serge tried those weeks, 90+ points only
Caol Ila 16 yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Sestante, 75cl, +/-1985)
Caol Ila 24 yo 1974/1998 (53.3%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #53.32, 325 bottles)
Caol Ila 22 yo 1974/1997 (54.4%, Signatory Vintage, cask #1974/46, 310 bottles)
Caol Ila 1978/1992 (64.8%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #53.5)
Caol Ila 1984/2000 (59.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, CASK, cask #6098-6101)
Caol Ila 1984/1996 (50%, Moon Import, Dovr-Toutes-Mares)
Caol Ila 40 yo 1984/2025 ‘Something in the Water’ (51.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Artist #15, refill hogshead, cask #8484006286, 99 bottles)
Caol Ila 32 yo 1992/2024 (51.8%, Whiskyland, Chapter Five, refill hogshead, 210 bottles)
Caol Ila 30 yo 1995/2025 (50.9%, The Antelope & Kanpaikai, Dollar Cat #2, refill hogshead, cask #809708, 168 bottles)
Caol Ila 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘Wunderkammer’ (57.3%, Morisco Spirits, 1st fill oloroso, cask #58211, 307 bottles)
New Yarmouth 15 yo 2009/2025 (59.8%, Bedford Park, Jamaica, bourbon, cask #1, 221 bottles)
Caroni 27 yo 1998/2025 (57.6%, The Colours of Rum for Absolutely Nuts, This Time No Colours, Edition No.2, Trinidad, 91 bottles)
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