This is one of the three latest releases in the Daily Dram series (check Daily Dram Auk’s Choir and Daily Dram High Dark Plan as well).

Ciao All, as you all know, is the Italian sister distillery of Caol Ila. It’s 12 years old so let’s pour a dram of the official Caol Ila 12 years as well and compare…

Caol Ila ‘Ciao All’ 12yo 1996 
(46%, Daily Dram 2009)

Nose: initially a coastal impression. Iodine mixed with rather sweet peat smoke. Hints of toffee and motor oil. Sweeter, rounder, less austere than the original bottling. More biscuity as well. Lemon as usual, with a hint of vanilla. Less apple. Slight hints of tobacco. Mouth: oily and rather sweet again, peaty but still quite delicate. Some pepper and nutmeg. Growing intensly salty towards the finish. Overall much smoother than the regular version, despite the extra 3% alcohol. Finish: balanced smokey/sweet, with some peat and milk chocolate.

This ragazzo takes the original profile and adds a certain creamy smoothness. It’s tasty, powerful enough and extremely drinkable. The price level of around € 50 is probably a tad too expensive , compared to the quality of the distillery bottling (around € 35).

Score: 82/100