Caol-Ila

12 years

Comment by

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J.L. Zamora

Nose: smoked some how burnt grass or wood (in my lenguage: xerdu), salty,polish antisepthic?. Mouth: spycy, oily, dry smoke whith good intensity. Finish: long, smoked fish and salty This bottle probably remeber a port ellen?henr

Comment by

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Henrik Johansson

Appearance: Chardonnay white wine.
Nose: Delishiously sweet nose with lots of rubber, smoky and malty scents. Quite complex and interesting. Minty and peaty aromas emerge from the addition of water. There's also a wiff of old books, surgical spirit and a slightly bitter tingle that lingers.
Body: Medium and quite firm.
Palate: Sweet and malty to taste, not so much of the smoke carries over. There's a long, feinty tingle that seems to last forever. Development: After four months, less than a third of the bottle remains so I thought I'd do an evaluation. The nose is much dryer than I remembered it, the predominant expression is of burnt lumber that has soaked in water. There's some cocao in the background together with some burnt rubber and roast.! The palate s still sweet and balanced with a truly majestic finish that is quite smoky and a little sherried. Elegant palate. I rated the 4 month old bottle slightly higher than the newly opened one.

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

Colour: Golden white wine (coloured or not, the label don’t say anything so this beauty lets me think it is not, but I may be wrong...).
Nose: Like other Ileachs like Laphroaig or Lagavulin this has its very own class - A very beautiful and clear defined combination of nifty peatsmoke arranged together with different impressions like lime peel, pears, quinces, photo developer, apple vinegar, old but freshly polished leather boots, sawdust, cold ashtray, boat rope and wet newspaper.
Taste: Here we have the impressions named above (leave out the pears, quinces and the apple cider) complemented with forest earth and moss, soaked in rainwater. This very appealing combination leads towards a very expressive
Finish: with citrus notes and chemicals combining themselves more and more with very fine and elegant herbal bittersweet (Campari) notes.
Conc.: The perfect opener for a good meal, and a great companion for preparing a such. Also great with dark chocolate or very old Gouda cheese. An old time favourite for me, I just don’t know why they talk on the label of “hidden malt”, I think this times are long ago. I would be glad to try such an old hidden malt bottling.

Tasting date: 01/10/2010
Price in Germany: 39,00 Euro -1 Liter bottle

Caol-Ila

18 years

Caol-Ila

25 years

Caol-Ila

Cask Strength

Caol-Ila

8 years "Unpeated Style"

Caol-Ila

10 years "Unpeated Style", 2009

Caol-Ila

Rare malts, 21 years

Caol-Ila

Chieftain's Choice 11years - rum finish

Caol-Ila

Chieftain's Choice 12 years - claret

Caol-Ila

Un-chillfiltered collection 1989

Caol-Ila

Un-chillfiltered collection 1991 Port

Caol-Ila

Flagon collection (Signatory) 1991

Caol-Ila

Vintage 1981 (Signatory)

Caol-Ila

Private Collection (Gordon & MacPhail)

Caol-Ila

12 years Cadenhead

Caol-Ila

Coopers Choice 1991

Caol-Ila

Best Casks of Scotland 1995

Caol-Ila

Cask collection, 21 years

Caol-Ila

First Cask 1982-2007

Caol-Ila

Single Malts of Scotland, 16 years

Caol-Ila

Old Malt Cask, 25 years #1358

Caol-Ila

Old Malt Cask, 25 years #2001

Caol-Ila

Commemorative bottling, 30 years. For Douglas Laing friends.

Caol-Ila

Daily Dram: Local AI, 23 years

Caol-Ila

Berry's own selection, 1979

Caol-Ila

Aged 24 years

Caol-Ila

Aged 29 years, cask 4937

Caol-Ila

Elements of Islay, Cl 1

Caol-Ila

Port Askaig, 25 years

Caol-Ila

Port Askaig, 17 years

Caol-Ila

Port Askaig, Cask Strength

Caol-Ila

30 years (1980-2010)

A smell of barbecue ashes immediately gives the pitch. This is a nice peaty whisky. Beyond the peat, nice fresh fruity notes (smoked kiwi..?)
In the palate, the same peat is very present and the whole is relatively complex: fruit, pepper and peat.
The lingering finish is marked by this interesting mix of peat and peppery fruits.

On the nose, a marine peat (seaweed) is combined with a discreet smoke. We also detected a mineral influence (wet stone) and notes of hay and wet straw. There is also a nice fruitiness, not exuberant, on white fruits and citrus (solutricine?). Beautiful nose, elegant, complex and not “too much”.
The palate is velvety with a pleasant acid /sweet attack, reminding the nose (oily smoke / seaweed) and then turns on salt, a fruity touch and something grassy and mineral rather difficult to describe, but which is very nice. Nice bitterness in finish (charcoal?).
The final is long, complex with a salty notes.
Undoubtedly the most interesting whisky in this session for me, the most complex, most powerful. I bet on an IB, cask strength, average 15-25yo, from a distillery not necessarily popular. 90-91 pts.

Nose: Powerful, it is a cask strength. Quite balanced, which makes it surprisingly complex. Green tea, spices, honey, fresh herbs, mineral, mediterranean cuisine. The whole consistent and intertwined. It is superb. No unpleasant emanation, one would remain for hours in the glass to nose it further, but the desire to bring in the mouth is too strong.

Taste: The alcohol is present. Herbs and cut grass as well. All accompanied by peppery spices? It stays fresh on the vegetal, the tea comes later. This is not a whisky for the ladies, a few drops of water adds a bit of ash on the nose reflecting a presence of peat. The vegetal side is more discreet, the sugar is almost like red fruits from a sherry cask. These few drops are good for him, making it creamier and sweeter.

Final: On the spices, fresh thyme. Rather long and certainly very good. Big favorite.

Nose: Wow! Fun, attractive, unusual and intriguing. Evoking deliciously fruity candies, licorice, floral potpourri, and especially the original notes of vegetables (tomato, pumpkin, peppers, eggplant ?...), cooked dishes in sauce, herbs and spices (chervil, paprika .. .).
But in the kitchen of which leader is it does so ??...

Taste: Re-Wow! It is also really special to the height of the bunch if not more. Strange and fascinating blend of flavors, very ripe juicy fruit, citrus crystallized notes vegetables cooked with a southern accent sometimes and sometimes exotic herbs and spices including a mid-palate that builds up spicy (pepper / paprika, curry, ginger), the limit of excess, but falls over seconds to stabilize at a superb balance.
A whisky that gives a frank desire to eat, probably old enough, which stands out for its originality, its rise to power and its overall balance, complexity, length ... BRAVO!

Nose: Powerful and some kind of woody dryness. Burnt rubber and coal. This one spent time in the cask, or the latter was seriously recharred. Let's give it some time to open-up. Mhhhh… It's much better now. Dried fruit peels (hazelnuts). The wood gets older. Smells like in my cellar. My nose is on the cork of an old bottle. Let's wait a little more… The beast gets more citrusy and aromatic. Orange butterscotch. Boiled sweet. And even hints of green tomatoes. That's strange: The more you wait, the younger it gets… Let's try with a drop of water. Oh! That works well! Now I have some smoked ham too. And the orange turns to lemon.
Mouth: Bold, fruity and spicy, it's a full blast attack on dried orange peels. The charred wood is still there, but arrives later. That's more to my liking! Creamy feeling of a hazelnut liqueur. Very nice balance between the wood's harshness and the fruit's voluptuousness. Or rather a very nice unbalance, as our senses are torn between both worlds. And an example alcohol integration for a whisky that probably reaches 57% or 58%. The alcohol perfectly holds up the aromas of a never boring mouth. With a drop of water, the sooty notes turn to be more citrusy, ala Caol Ila.
Finish : Long, fruity, sustained by the pungency of the charcoal.
Comment: A great multifaceted and ever evolving malt. At the same time pungent, creamy, fruity, and sooty, it deserves all of your attention. So book your agenda for an evening when you have time!

Gold color
Fine and delicate nose. Fruity smell (exotic fruit) of chewing gum with strawberry. I think I detected a note of ash. But without much conviction. Some peanut notes. On aeration, a note of cereal.
Mouth is hot and bubbly, quite gently. A taste of coconut beads (dessert Cambodian). Some fruitiness always very present.
Final continuity pungent. Very discreet bitterness in the background. More exotic fruits. Lacks a little length.

The nose opens with fresh sensations, with medicinal ferrous and cold ashes hints. Not unitary or disturbing, however. Then light hints of wood and nuts (walnuts) bring the nose to warmer flavors towards heady flowers and citrus (lemon), concludes this very complex trip. The alcohol rate allows all these flavors to be nicely blended, and offers a good balance and fair power to this actually quite unorthodox nose. By adding water, smoked ashes and strawberry will dominate the whole.

The palate is syrupy, sweet, with hints of malted barley. In a atmosphere strong enough, the mouth then develops with smoked bacon and grilled aromas. Very well balanced, aerating allows very discreet notes of bitter chocolate to emerge.

The finish is long and grandiose. A cascade literally fall on much more nautical flavours than the mouth led to mean: peat option navy, fresh grass, all on a background very farmer and wet. Drying, it leaves a very pleasant salty memory. Water brings more sweetness and a nice tip of lemon.

In conclusion, a rather unconventional whisky, which leads to a full visit of flavors, all with remarkable power and subtlety.

Nose: peaty and medicinal with some iodine, salt and seaweed. A few fruits and citrus in the background. Peat is translucent with aeration as it was powerful in the beginning.
After some breathing appear notes of varnish, vanilla, white fruits and exotic. It also softens.

Taste: Explosion of ripe fruit and alcohol within the limits of endurance (calms down considerably with aeration). Dried fruits are mingled with a little lemon. The water brings out the citrus.

Final: First peaty she quickly replaced with fruit. It is salty, iodine and lemon with citrus. A little short. The addition of water enhances the flavor but destroys the balance of flavors and dries. After a long aeration, the final is very long and citrus.

This whiskey is better without adding water and a long breathing. Aeration reveals, I think. My notes going from 84pts to 90pt. (I put the final note at 89pts)

Color: Gold

Nose: Fresh, expressive and very pleasant at first. Juicy pear, vanilla sugar, a little licorice. Then all evolving towards a profile more maritime, sea spray and sea salt, without departing from its original softness. It is also very subtle peaty. Some animal notes make their appearance during the second tasting.

Taste: Powerful and fat from the attack, plenty salty, it plays on spices (white pepper) and licorice, letting a hint of fruit and bitter orange peel. It warms the palate but alcohol is well integrated. Maybe a hint of peat? The second tasting confirmed the presence of a hint of peat.

Finish: Quite long, it extends the fruity / bitter and salty mouth.

Conclusion: A very good malt, well made , balanced and expressive. Not the whiskey of the year but certainly an excellent dram. It makes me think of some peated Benriach Single Malt Of Scotland. From my point of view, by far outperforms the other malts selection.

Color: Gold
A nose of great complexity, combining scents of ripe fruit, some bitter notes of dried fruit, a hint of smoke, perhaps a touch of honey and spices. The nose is extremely promising, anyway.
The palate is very complex. After an attack on the fruit, with an explosion of fruity acidity, a very slight woody bitterness it continues to evolve on fruity. The palate is very fresh despite an obvious presence of alcohol
The finish is relatively long. Unlike the mouth, which was characterized by a great freshness, this finish is warm while keeping the same dominant aromas.
An excellent bottle full of surprises.

Nose: Light Peaty. Agrumic
Mouth: Strong Attack on lemon. Tickling. Aromatic grass (thymus) Iodic. Nice expression of peat without any aggressivity.
Final: Short despite of persistent peat. Salty

Old gold, amber.
Sweet nose, thin, rather rich. Very ripe fruit. Spices. Hint of sherry (coffee). A little smoke.
Sweet, tasty, fruity. Slightly sweet. Evolves on the smoke. Woody notes.
Rather long final, not very intense, on smokey notes. Slight woody.

Color: straw yellow
Nose: Quite original, sour and bitter on the lemon zest, Pulco, vanilla, sweet notes and a few light smoke in the background.
Taste: Again it is acidic and bitter Pulco, sugar and ginger.
The palate then evolves on a discrete peat farm.
Long finish, acid and spicy.
A weird whisky.

Nose: very weird, unattractive, so far seems very complex but closed. Opens slowly and becomes much more sympathetic. Salty. Freshwater fish (despite the salt!).
Mouth: a little hot, very draining. Light peat (or just smoke), some fruit (apple), cereal / beer.
Final: final average, slightly bitter, pepper, more ocean.

Receding side which both seduces (for makes you want to capture it) and even discourages disconcerting as the nose and mouth. A may need lots and lots of ventilation (more than an hour in the glass and / or in the bottle)? One feels a complexity and aromatic range is interesting but remains very disturbed by this side elusive.

Medium gold color
Nose: Fine peat with a nice freshness.

Taste: A powerful whisky with a sharp attack, on the alcohol. It opens on exotic fruits, including fresh coconut. It is softening while it develops.

Finish: The finish is dry and spicy and ends with notes of apricot.

Colour: Old gold.
Nose: nose first on Indian spices and sherry vinegar. Moving very fast on the fruit vinegar with a little solvent, turpentine. Hints of white chocolate. Gin, possibly ginger tiny keys. The remaining vinegar acid notes throughout. A bit of white bread, tiny touches of almond powder, a few hints for muscle pain ointment (Actygo Voltaren) or burns (Biaffine). Coffee with milk aeration. A little vinyl adhesive. Finally, gravy or viandox, very slightly.
The water has no influence on the nose.
Mouth: sweet but very quickly pecking. Smooth. Alcohol is present but not excessively. The notes are pretty close to the nose. Evokes Indian spices, and potpourri.
Adding water erodes the presence of alcohol, and reveals the expressive advantage of the mouth, with notes of honey and enough pleasant red fruit.
Finale: Short and in the extension of the mouth.
Like the mouth, the water develops the final.

Comment: A strange whisky with uncommon notes, elusive, and not easy to enjoy. Seems a bit unbalanced, disharmony and melted, but fails to show youth. Adding water is advised. This whisky a powerful but difficult to master.

N: bitter orange liqueur, artichoke, chard cooked meat, cinnamon, potato juice.
M: Marine Note, cinnamon, light peat
F: tarragon, sage, meat

The first nose is clearly peaty but peat is nto too oppressive, wood, fruit against a background of strong Mediterranean character: eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender. The fruitiness develops gradually with the sugar of the peat that gums out the bumps. But it also gives a slight fruity character nice and fresh acid. Rare notes of fresh tobacco.
In the mouth the first impression is dry, rough, raspy and immediately hand over clear notes of toffee and a strong alcohol. A nice bitterness of coffee? no instead of cocoa gives a very nice bitterness that the caramel has, thankfully, difficult to cover. With a drop of water, a plumf based fruitiness (mirabelle, quetsch) develops.
The finish is first alcohol and then back on the citrus, eucalyptus woodland with astringency and peat.
A beautiful nose portends a great tasting but that leaves to the dogs. And fortunately a nice bitterness to offset the peat.

Colour : gold

Nose : at first, seems to be a great dram. We start with hints of tart apple and lemon then we have a nice smoke. We then follow with hints of milk chocolate and grilled almonds and nuts. Nice finess, very fresh and lemony.
With water, becomes a bit rounder and sweeter (a bit of a perfume).

Mouth : a little behind compared with the nose but still interesting. Nougatine, lemon and smoke. A certain sharpness, with hints of white dry wine. Light oaky bitterness at the end.

Final : pretty long on the lemon sharpness. Bitterness but not too strong.

A nice dram, showing complexity but a bit too oaky for me.

Nose: Soft, fruity (apple, yellow fruits), honey, heather, sea air? Vanilla, lemon, acid drops. Nice. Hint of peat?
Mouth: Starts soft, then a bitter explosion, bitter, vegetal. Hard. Lemon.
The final is harsh too, vegetal, then, sea air, peat?, bitter.
The nose was promissing, but not the rest.

Nose: grapefruit, light acidity and just smoke (discrete) and alcohol.
Taste: on alcohol, pepper and tar. Too medicinal for my taste!
Final: still on alcohol and tobacco

Appearance: light yellow
Nose: low intensity, alcohol fairly well integrated, veil of smoke, malty sweetness, red fruits
Taste: moderate intensity, chili, smoky, dry
Finish: short to medium
Conclusion: Basic whisky, the chili catch gives a distinctive personality. Personally I do not like this flavor in whisky, others will love it

Caol-Ila

Best Casks of Scotland 1979

Caol-Ila

Charity bottle for the Japanese tsunami & earthquake victims

Caol-Ila

Twenty Seven

Color: Gold
The nose is very subtle though a slight discomfort caused by the presence of alcohol is undeniable. A pretty oily peat, a little butter and a dominant discretion characterizes the nose which, without being very complex, is nonetheless particularly balanced.
On the palate, this whisky is a bit more complex and powerful. After a slightly acid first impression, mouth quickly returns to the peat. While not complex, the mouth is very subtle and perfectly balanced. The heat of the mouth is really nice. Just happiness.
The finish is long, warm and pleasantly marked by peat with distant chocolaty recollections.

Caol-Ila

Taste Still 1979

Caol-Ila

Best Casks of Scotland 2000

Caol-Ila

Best Casks of Scotland 1983

Caol-Ila

Single Malts of Scotland, 15 years

Caol-Ila

Single Malts of Scotland, 9 years

Caol-Ila

8 years, unpeated (2007)

Caol-Ila

Dun Eideann, Chateau La Nerthe

Caol-Ila

Dun Eideann, 1995 Oloroso

Caol-Ila

Golden Cask 1996

Caol-Ila

Caol Ila 1996

Caol-Ila

"Le puits à whisky"

Caol-Ila

1983-2009

Caol-Ila

10 years

Colour: Straw
A fairly aggressive nose dominated by ... alcohol. Some peat, but also a great discretion if we except the inconvenience caused by alcohol.
The mouth is also very aggressive. One feels the presence of peat, but a clear impression of "too young" dominates the tasting. This is a whisky that would have gained much to stay a few more years in cask. One can hardly help thinking of a "new make" that has slightly evolved in the cask. This whisky is certainly still far too immature and unnecessarily aggressive.
Here is a whisky that would certainly not have been bottled.
Avoid it.

Caol-Ila

1981, Bourbon hogshead

Color: Gold
Quite an unusual discrete nose for a Caol Ila. A distant peat and some fruity notes complemented by pepper and spices. The nose is surprisingly fresh ...
On the palate, peat is more prevalent, subtle and balanced. I am not used to such a subtlety with Caol Ila. Tje more the whisky remains in the mouth, the more it reveals its charms. A perfect balance, always in the framework of discretion and without complexity, but this whisky gives great pleasure.
The finish is long and warm. Mainly dominated by notes of chocolate milk, it prolongs perfectly the mouth. It also contrasts so much with the nose was extremely discreet.

Caol-Ila

Distilled 1998, Limited edition

Colour: Straw
A very present peat that will not squish the nose. Beyond the peat, fine notes of smoke, barbecue. The nose is very fresh despite an otherwise nice bitterness (cigar box).
The first impression in the palate is that of a fairly big freshness. A mixture of peat and citrus. The mouth is very pleasant without being overly complex. Spices compliment this amazing mouth freshness.
The final also plays in the register of freshness. All impressions of the mouth meet there. The finish is long and very pleasant.

Caol-Ila

Caol Ila 20 years

Caol-Ila

12 years

Caol-Ila

Straight from the Cask 1994

Caol-Ila

Chieftain's Choice 12 years

Caol-Ila

Chieftain's Choice 10 years

Caol-Ila

Very Cloudy 7 years

Caol-Ila

1994 Bourbon-Mourvèdre-Syrah

Caol-Ila

1990

Caol-Ila

Caol Ila 1982/2008 for La Maison du Whisky

Caol-Ila

13 years

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

Colour: Riesling
Nose: The first impression is very surprising fruity one: Pome, quince, pears, obstler. Backed by a very nifty peat smoke, a great and very complex Caol Ila announces itself. Later there is dark cocoa powder and soft hints of honey. Soft burning embers. Not a bit chemical but peaty for sure. This nose is making it a great pleasure to wait and same time look forward the first sip.
Taste: Yessss! This is the perfect balance between peat-reek, barley, fruits (getting weaker here on the palate) and a very complex sweetness (brown sugar, glucose). The 46% seem to be the perfect strength here, there is no need to add water and also no wish for more strength (says I, who usually prefer cask strength bottlings...).
Finish: Here now the sweetness delivers a ver! y entertaining wrestling match with an upcoming wooden bitterness which finally gets the upper hand.
Conc.: A perfect Caol Ila. There is no more to say.
Date: Nov/26/2008
Price in Germany: ca 49,00 Euro

Caol-Ila

12 years

Comment by

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Henrik Johansson

Date of tasting: 27/3 2009 (SWS tasting)
Apperance: New Gold
Nose: Peaty with some burnt twigs. Pretty spirity with a little acetone. Pine forest, burnt wood. With water some cigarrette butt emerges.
Palate: Remarkably sweet. Roasted seeds which remains all the way through. Well balanced and over all very good. Drier the second time. Some cigarette butt in the diluted finish as well.

Caol-Ila

Coiltean 1984

Comment by

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Johan Brugge

Colour: dark gold

Nose: Peat, some smoke, medicinal and yet somewhat sweeter than the average Islay whisky. I notice in the background some citrus notes like orange peels and fresh hay. With some water it becomes more open. It's like standing on the beach with a nice breeze. I can sniff this for hours. The citrus notes are a bit more pronounced but not overwhelming. Everything is in perfect balance.

Palate: More peat and smoke but it's not over the top. Some wood, which makes me think of licorice and a hint of vanilla. It's an oil-like whisky which sticks to your mouth. Lovely complexity. It makes me think of a very peated Longrow. Can't be bad. With some water it's a tad sweeter. I prefer it neat. It remains in perfect balance.

Finish: Long. A bit softer than the 'heavy hitters' like Ardbeg or Laphroaig. A little bit of saltiness stays on the lips. After a few minutes I can still taste some wood like the Laphroaig QC.

Comments: A real stunner. I'm glad I openend this bottle. Now I don't have to wonder how this one would taste. A big 95/100!!

Caol-Ila

Adelphi 23 years

Caol-Ila

1982

Caol-Ila

aged 29 years, cask 4939

Caol-Ila

8 years "Unpeated Style" (2008)

Caol-Ila

1979-2010

Caol-Ila

Moch

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

Colour: White Wine, Riesling (Colour added).
Nose: Fresh peat together with citrus fruits. Very enjoyable and easy notes of leather polish and sea driftwood on the beach.
Taste: The peat takes a very good step foward. Strong but not overwhelming. Still this beautiful mix of sea air, grapefruits and suede leather in the back. Not as easy as the nose, but very delicate and enjoyable.
Finish: Prickly and very well peppered, still mingling between fruits and smoke.
Conclusion: It’s this beautiful easiness together with nifty peatsmoke which separates most Caol Ilas from other Islay whiskies.
Date: 28. February 2011
Price in Germany: 33 Euro

Caol-Ila

Un-chillfiltered Collection 1999

Caol-Ila

Distillers edition 1996

Caol-Ila

27 years, Battlehill

Caol-Ila

1999-2011

Caol-Ila

Aged 25 years, Cask 4806

Caol-Ila

1981-2011

Comment by

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Emiel van Hilten

Nose: Immediately very pleasant, subtle peat influences, sparkling, fresh, but also sweet as licorice. In the nose are all wood influences noticeable characteristic of an older whisky. Overall a wonderful nose.
Taste: Delicious strong, warm with a subtle sweetness and soft peat tones. This all nicely balanced
Finish: Very long...The subtle peat influences remain present long.