No need for an introduction on this one I guess. Peaty Islay whisky, usually at its finest.
Caol Ila 18yo 43% Master of Malt cask#12454,12455,12456
A mix of 3 different casks from Caol Ila. But why bottled at 43%, money talks? The color is light golden. It smells of peaty and peppery notes. Sweet and peppery, peaty, a rather straight up peaty whisky, nothing spectacular here. The taste is light, bitter, grassy, sour leaves, basil, coriander, ginger, lemon, kiwi. This is a fart in a can as far as I'm concerned, very little peat, smoke and coastal character.
Light and easily forgettable malt: 3.5
Caol Ila 11yo 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask
A youngster from Douglas Laing, not often do they bottle this young whisky for the OMC series. The color is light golden. It smells of smoky, peaty, sour, charcoal, grapefruit, bitter, wheat beer, burnt, dry sherry, very bitter indeed. The taste is rubbery, lemon peel, vanilla, wine gum, sweet and very light. Seems the nose and palate is quite the distant apart in this one. The finish is bitter white wine and white grapes.
A very unlikely Caol Ila, try it beside a 12yo OB and see for yourself: 4
Caol Ila 28yo 1983-2011 53.9% Berry Bros & Rudd cask#4800
Berry Bros & Rudd have had some great expressions bottled at 46%abv, I've never tried much of what they afford at CS. Time to change that. The color is honey golden. It smells of peat, coastal characters, smoke iodine, medicinal, salt, smoked salmon, oysters, cooked shrimps, cod liver, straw, spearmint, bonfire, gasoline. This is peaty Islay at its best so far. The taste is spirity, sweet, camphor, honey.. What??? Now, after a couple minutes breathing the peat kicks in, oaky, charred oak, burnt, medicinal, iodine, wet grass, seaweed, salty, broccoli, lime zest, gingerbread, olives, smoky. This is fantastic! The finish is very long, peaty, phenolic, vinegar, drying and salty.
A multi-faceted Caol Ila of the best kind: 9
Caol Ila 15yo 1995-2011 54.1% Malts of Scotland cask#9805
This one comes from a bourbon hogshead. The color is light golden. It smells of hay, wheat, peppery, smoke, peat, ginger, grassy, oysters, salted fish eggs, cod liver, fish sauce, floral, butter, orange marmalade. The taste is salty, leather, spirity, biscuits, cardboard, medicinal, sweet, plum juice, dark grape juice, lemon, raisins, a very sweet and fruity palate that hardly goes well with the peat in the background. Kind of an mismatch for me this one as I think more of a coastal character would've highlighted the peat a bit more. A bit Old Ballantruan this one, after the first medicinal note on the palate which lasts about 1/2 second.
The nose was superb, the palate didn't follow: 5.5
Caol Ila 19yo 1993-2012 56.1% Malts of Scotland cask#12037
Another go at the same bottler. This time from a sherry hogshead. I personally feel that sherried peaters have gotten a sort of damaged reputation over the years, which are now being built up by a whole lot of single cask bottling from such casks. The color is amber. It smells of dry sherry, fino notes all the way, phenolic, burnt oak, bitter, lime rind, leather, chili. The taste is sweet, mellow sherry notes, some peatiness, earthy, grainy, stewed onions, baking powder. The finish is bittersweet, lime and sugar.
Another oddball from Caol Ila today: 6
Caol Ila 21yo 1974-1996 60.5% Signatory Vintage cask#12592 btl.931/980
By looking at the cask #'s, one could assume that the MoM in this session was distilled before 1974. A crazy strength after 21 long years on oak. Golden color. It smells of peat, smoke, cigars, tarry, sea salt, phenolic, a real ashtray this one. Superb peaty nose. The taste is sweet, peaty, smoky, burnt wood, lemon rind, smoked salmon, peppery. Although very nice now it sure could use some water due to the high strength. With water it gets even more peaty, grapefruit, acidic, burnt.
A lot of off-notes that fits wit a peaty character only: 7
Caol Ila 16yo 1981-1997 62.7% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#2087,2088,2089,2090,2091,29092,2093
A mix of 7 casks, should be interesting, a bit like an OB CS then? But they surely do not vatt 7 successive casks? Another very high strength. The color is golden. It smells of peat, iodine, syrup, grains, tarry, perfume, waxy, very strong, peaty and peppery, as one would expect from such a strength. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, orange liqueur, honey, peaty, smoke, tobacco, melon, peaches, thick malt syrup, coriander, creamy, toffee, vanilla, not very coastal, but who cares in this case? Great stuff. The finish is peaty, tarry, smoky and long.
Superb Caol Ila, the palates offbeat-ness only rewarded the finish: 9
Caol Ila 12yo 1978-1990 65.5%
A bit of oxidation on this one, but that's usual in whiskies bottled over 20 years ago, so most examples of this one being drunk today probably have more or less the same oxidation. The color is golden. It smells of peat, peppery, sour cream, medicinal, iodine, licorice, minty, burnt, extremely strong. Its one of the strongest odors I've ever come across in a whisky without being spirity. The taste is leather, tobacco, heather, honey, cinnamon, bpeppery, very nice, but needs a bit of water I think as the finish is pretty raw. Now it turns sweeter, licorice and honey, some peaty notes, rubber, phenols, soapy, fino sherry, lemon, almonds, vanilla. More sipable this time around, but no necessarily better.
Extreme Islay bare, with water added, a kind and gentle Islayer: 6.5
Next tasting: Lagavulin Distillery
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