Caol Ila 18 Year

The collector in me was attempting to slowly put together a nice, full set of the core range of Caol Ila malts over the last year or so. I’ve spent quite a bit of money on the higher end bottles, 25, 30 and 35 year old. I saw this 18 year online and laughted to myself when I saw the price: $84. What a solid deal, I thought. They priced this in line with Talisker. Cool. Well, I decided to open this bottle one night a few weeks ago just out of sheer curiosity. That and the fact I bought a second bottle recently- you don’t just bust up a core range set on a whim, y’know. Boy oh boy, was that a good decision... This Caol Ila should not be confused with the annual, limited release version that is made from unpeated malt. This is the true, core range peated 18: it’s bottled at 43% and has added color and filtration. This particular bottle was filled in 2008. It’s a beautiful sunset gold and appears very oily, with thin and fast running legs and heavy, watery droplets in the taster. The nose begins with a soft smoke- of the BBQ’d meat variety. There’s a heavenly blast of juicy, orchard fruits that seems to be stewing in a pan of sherry wine. There’s a hint of salty, seaside air billowing out of the glass as well. None of these notes overpower each other- in fact, they seem to be perfectly polite and allow each other their time to shine. Please sit with this whisky for awhile and let it work it’s magic because it’s very rewarding. The palate starts out very sweet. Apples, pears and the like roll across the tongue, followed by some rich peat smoke. Orange marmalade and light citrus begin to cut through the smoke and thick mouthfeel just in time to leave you tasting juicy, fresh-picked berries that have been dipped in sea salt. The smoke appears again to keep things from turning too tart and dry. This is the most pleasing aspect of this dram. It’s wonderful. The finish combines everything you’ve experienced so far: sherry sweetness, orchard fruits and smoke. The tail end shows hints of menthol before leaving behind a light, peppery bite. Overall, this malt cracked my Top 3 of all time. I went in expecting a solid dram and came away being absolutely stunned by this bottle. I even opened the Caol Ila 25 as I got towards the end of the 18, just to see if another 7 years did something even more amazing. Sadly, it didn’t advance on anything and I’ll even freely admit that the 18 is a superior dram to the 25 year old. Hell, I’ll even go so far as to say this is easily the best 18 year old whisky I’ve tried to this point. It’s better balanced than the Highland Park 18, more elegant than the Macallan 18, more subtle than the Talisker 18 and fruitier than the Lagavulin 16. It’s damn close to being the perfect dram. Factor in the sub-$90 price tag and you just can’t go wrong. Find a bottle or a bar with an open bottle (DO NOT MISTAKE THE UNPEATED VERSION FOR THIS ONE) and experience this one for yourself. It’s a perfect meld of sweet, salt and smoke. 5 perfect stars, my friends. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. Cheers.

Review #007 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 43% Comments: aged 18 years, matured in mixture of refill casks Tasted after: Caol Ila 13 Year Discovery (Gordon & Macphail) Appearance (no score): Deep copper color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 18/20 Fresh pineapples, bacon, smoke, dried apricots, and a hint of brown sugar. Palate: 37/40 The flavor isn’t mouth popping, it’s soft and delicious, cereal and oranges dominate, there’s some peaches in here too and a hint of dark chocolate. No smoke on the palate, that waits until the finish to make an appearance. Finish: 36/40 A nice long finish that takes its time, the smokey flavor is soft and accompanied by black pepper, honey, and just enough of a briny saltiness to wet the mouth and invite the next sip. With Water: A drop of water brings out some sweetness on the palate and helps the pepper flavor in the finish pop. Total: 91/100 Final thoughts: A sufficiently sophisticated sipper for my 007 review, I believe James Bond would approve. This bottle holds a special place in my collection, it’s so unique and enjoyable to drink. If I could wave a magic wand and make any change to it, the only alteration would be to bottle it at a higher ABV. One of my purchases on a trip to Scotland, but I hope one day I can find it here in the USA. Price: £95 Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

The smell is quite caressing, soft, with the pungent and sulphurous peat that initially stays a bit on its own, leaving room for apricot, peach, vanilla, orange peel, a pinch of hazelnut and licorice. Well present a fresh and herbaceous profile. Over time, the peaty component grows without overwhelming, with a pleasant salty touch. Very delicate, age has made the whisky decidedly wise and calm. On the palate it confirms its gentle spirit, while revealing a rougher aspect of leather and tobacco that is grafted onto the fruity and herbaceous notes, more dome thanks to the smoky and saline peat that becomes more present. Much licorice, a touch of honey, a bitter note of rhubarb, toasted wood. Round and compacted. Medium finish, burnt wood, licorice, orange, hazelnut. A higher gradation would have given it more character, and it's a shame because the features to be a really remarkable whisky are all there, and the ripening has however greatly benefited the whisky. It remains a very pleasant drink, but not exactly unforgettable.

One of my favorite bottles that I have is a 14y CS single cask Caol Ila from G&MacP. I only had some younger expressions from their core range which weren’t overly remarkable. So I wanted to see what the top of the core line has to offer. Nose: gentle peat, familiar notes of Caol Ila, a bid weak intensity-wise but very delicious, nice creamy vanilla, smooth, some fresh orchard fruits, fresh crispy baguette. Not overly complex but delicious. Palate: dry and lightly smoky, mild with a nice fruity sourness (apple juice), still creamy and smooth, butter-cookies Finish: light ashy peat, still fruity sour with a slight sweetness, great combination of peat, sweet and heat. It feels a bid tamed down with not as much Intensity that one would hope for. The nose and taste itself is very good though. It really looks like Caol Ila is best at cask strength.

Nose: saline and very delicate peat, acidulous and sweet. Great and unobtrusive. Palate: dense and oily, very light and delicate, not full-bodied like 25yo. Confirms the saline and peat, the latter being very delicate. Velvety. Final: very long, with ash mixed with brackish, perhaps the best part of the whole because it persists in the mouth indefinitely. Worthy son of the 25yo. Rating 4.75 _________________________________________________ Naso: salino e torba molto delicata, acidula e dolciastra. Ottimo e non invadente. Palato: denso ed oleoso, molto leggero e delicato, non corposo come il 25yo. Conferma il salino e la torbatura, quest’ultima davvero delicatissima. Vellutato. Finale: lunghissimo, alla cenere mista a salmastro, forse la parte migliore del tutto perché persiste in bocca all’infinito. Degno figlio del 25yo. Voto 4,75

Nose – WOW! Refined smoke with coffee and cocoa tones… lemons, orange gumdrops, barley, maritime notes and marigolds. Palate – Oak, vegetal notes, peat smoky, silky milk and dark chocolates, toffee, light mouth coat, but heavenly fluffy marshmallow, nutmeg, and hazelnuts. Finish – Lovely long smokiness… not a bonfire of the mouth, uncharred, but not a white ashy one – nice in the middle… Water brings pine and apples/pears on nose. Palate – more chocolate to fudge. Finish – dry black pepper. Almost perfect. If 48% ABV which would boost mouth coat slightly, then a 5.0. The theme of this dram should also almost be perfect... "The Celestials" by the Smashing Pumpkins is a newer classic to me. Thanks for bringing back the mellotron, and a killer bass line.