Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve (2013 Special Release)

Executive summary: This is a damn fine scotch. Long version: Lovely scents - citrus and light and fruity and warm and strong! If I had ever theoretically poured a glass to take with me to a neighbors house down the road, then I would bet (pretty positively) that the fragrance would reach your nose from way down in its cozy little cup holder and fill the car with an amazing combination of scents. And the flavors are lovely - woody and smooth. Some hints of crisp apple and honey - its unpeated but has a nice smoky finish that sticks around. Also, a heads up that it's cask strength (59.6% ABV) but doesn't have a harsh burn. Don't get me wrong - it has a nice kick - but the alcohol is subtle in the same way a huge guy in a suit, sitting at a table at a well known Italian restaurant/mob hangout, with a gun peeking out of his coat is subtle. You know he's there. He knows you know he's there. But no need for him to make a spectacle of himself. Ladies and gentlemen - this is Barry White meets Isaac Hayes. This is whisky - as in dimly lit rooms, leather chairs, really good friends, and cigar smoke whisky. The taste lingers, kind of like the way an old girlfriend's perfume scent always seemed to hang around on the sheets long after she'd left the next morning. And that's how you should enjoy it. Slow and lovingly. Sit back and relax because this scotch is fun to spend time with. I drink this one every once in awhile to remind me what right tastes like.

Nose: Honey, lemon, green apple, white grapes, heather flowers, sea-mist. Adding water mutes the nose considerably and it takes some resting time to recompose. When it does it produces tropical fruit aromas, sweat and a little light honey. [The dry-glass aroma is lightly floral and vaguely similar to Highland Park]. Palate: A strong, forcefully spicy arrival that is completely unexpected from the nose. Sour apples and bittermelon, lemon zest and slightly overbrewed but weak black tea. Pine resin, pine needles, sawdust. Adding water tames the performance but tends to confuse everything - it creates a meld of flavours that doesn't ever really sort itself out. If adding water, don't add too much. Finish: Medium/long. Spicy, malty and grassy. A faint bitter aftertaste. Let this one rest. Give it time. Give yourself time. This is not a peated Caol Ila and it is not like any other Caol Ila you've ever tasted before (unless you've had an unpeated cask-strength IB). It's very tightly locked up by the high alcohol and it demands water, however it's a finicky malt that blooms when the right amount of water (just a few drops) is added, but collapses into chaos if drowned. This taste is based on a bottle-kill. It's probably difficult to find this malt now except through auctions - personally I won't be bothering to acquire another. Interesting, certainly worth a taste, but neither compelling nor value for money. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

After trying the unpeated 18 and 15, I really wish that Caol Ila would make one of these offerings a permanent member of the roster. I know that most Caol Ila is used as a blend component for the likes of Johnnie Walker, but man, these have been good thus far. Let’s hope the Stitchell Reserve from 2013 can stack up. Nose: Sugar cookie and plum skin. Toffee and toasted almond. Raspberry and sweet cola. Honeydew. Vanilla. Apple, pear, apricot, and floral notes. Caramel and butterscotch. A touch of sea salt. Cinnamon, baking spice, and oak. Palate: Plum skin, golden raisin, date, and fig. Toffee, vanilla, and sugar cookie. Toasted almond and caramel. Apple, pear, and apricot. Milk chocolate. Just a bit of a sea salt and seaweed. Cinnamon, baking spice, and oak. Finish: Plum, apple, pear, and apricot. Plum and golden raisin. Toasted almond, caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Cinnamon, black pepper, baking spice, and oak. Long finish—as expected of a 59.6% whisky. Fantastic. Unpeated Caol Ila does it again. Which brings up my original point. Why are there not more of these? This definitely maintains the precedent that the 18 and 15 established. This ran me $100, and I grabbed it within the last couple years. That’s a fortunate pick-up considering this was a 2013 release. And with that price considered, 4.75/5. Due in no small part to the finish. Amazing stuff from Caol Ila.

My 499 review comes from an Islay Malt. Maybe the most forgotten one by me, Caol Ila, which i respect but i don't really have the same appreciation as an Ardbeg, Laphroaig or a Lagavulin. Actually this high strength abv dram was a part of a future release from an independent bottler that is going to enter the market soon (in fall 2019). Bottled at 59%abv, pale straw color. On the nose, lots of things happen here bit not necessarily the most appealing ones. Lemon, peat, pure alcohol or as we ecuadorian call it: PURO. Agave from tequila, grapefruit, dry grass and tea. The kind of tea that old people drink. Not my favorite aroma, but complex enough to get a solid score. On the palate, very few notes, very clean and delicious ones. Chinese Tea. Chocolate, dry feeling, lemon. No more, but it is really good. Aftertaste is where the islay profile really gets to you. For a 59%abv there is no alcohol kick or unbearable spiciness. Smoke, peat, beach notes, sand, peppery spiciness. Overall, this is not my favorite dram, but i have to be objective and due to its complexity and well craftedness i give it a 90 over 100.

I've been holding off having another pour of this for months just due to a desire to get another bottle. I won't get into it but I'm a bit frustrated with the search. But it's been months, is this really a bottle I HAVE to replace? Lets give it a second look - but memory severs me this dwarfs the 15 and 18 year bottles I have bought in hopes they'd match this one. Nose - Sweet candy, big dark caramel, and a light salt. Oh this is good. Alcohol and I get a bit of a pie filling. Taste - Salty caramel and vanilla. It's like chewing on dessert. This is just a custard pie caramel vanilla and salt bomb. A complete dessert scotch that hits on every possible note you could want. Bottled in 2013 these have become hard to get and I'm insanely annoyed with Ohio...where I'm told two stores have bottles...they just can't find them to sell them to me. Anyway this is hands down my favorite Caol Ila I've had.

This was my 2nd whiskey I ever had ( first being a Glenlivet 12). I don't think I was really appreciative of Islay flavors and complexity then. I remember the briny, pine needle taste and the waft of sea on the nose. At the time, I hated it... And ended up giving this bottle away, not being able to take the taste anymore. Now...2 years later and after totally loving Talisker, Bowmore, and other Islays and Islands, I probably wouldn't have given this away.