Caol Ila 12y (43%, OB)

Very clean nose, not very complex but nice anyway. Smoke, peat, motor oil and fresh hints of apple, lemon and grass. Overall rather salty (oysters), you can taste the sea. Very oily, grassy taste in which the slightly sweet smoke only breaks through towards the end. As if the compact taste cannot fully express itself. Powerful, long finish with notes of pepper, barbecue and peat.

Score: 83/100.

Caol Ila 18y (43%, OB)

Softer nose, less salty and less smoky. Instead sweeter notes of flowers, apricot and marzipan. More grass as well. Mouth: development of vanilla, peat, some smoke and a bit more salt than on the nose. Finish: coffee with liquorice and that salty touch again.

Score: ook 83/100.

I can’t really say I have a favourite. The 12y is cleaner, with a powerful (after)taste. The 18y is more balanced, has a broader range of flavours and has more body.

I had the chance to compare this with the Caol Ila 1969/1984 (G&M for Intertrade) (WF96) and although I agree that one is better, I don’t think the difference is very big.

Caol Ila 1969 (54,6%, Gordon & MacPhail for Meregalli 1986, Celtic label)

Nose: a sharp kickoff with quite a lot of alcohol. It takes some time before it’s tamed. Rather mineral. High on wet carton and wet dogs. Distant smoke. Lemon juice. Oysters. Very medicinal as well, with iodine and disinfectant. With a few drops of water it becomes slightly flowery and when warmed up it even shows hints of white chocolate and thyme. Impressive complexity. Mouth: first there’s a wave of lemon juice. A second wave brings loads of smoke and ashes. A third wave is much sweeter with marzipan and marmalades. Some coffee. Really excellent and superbly balanced. Finish: sweet with salty notes, smoked tea and cloves, Very long.

I won’t say much more about this bottle. It’s simply a great old Caol Ila.

Score: 93/100

Caol Ila 1975 20y (61,18%, RM 1996)

Nose: seaweed, peat, grassy notes, faintly medicinal. A touch of sweet apples. Not a lot of smoke here. With water: wax. Not exactly surprising for a Coal Ila, but still impressive and refined. Palate: hello smoke! Rather peppery. Overpowering attack, very robust. Spicy taste, liquorice and a sweet layer of honey. Finish on almonds, pear and chocolate. Slightly bitter notes as well. Very long.

Absolutely deserves 90/100.

This single cask Caol Ila was distilled in October 1978 and bottled by Cadenhead in October 1990. A second cask (better known) was filled and bottled at the same time (65,5%).

Caol Ila 12 yo 1978
(64,4%, Cadenhead 1990, dumpy bottle, 75 cl)

Nose: a rather soft nose considering the alcohol volume. Great old-style coal smoke, fern and moss. Some graphite. Coastal notes as well: seaweed, soft iodine, wet wool. Eucalyptus. Hints of almond oil to round it off. With water: slightly more lemony and slightly more fruity / fragrant with hints of mint. Mouth: very intense of course, oily and quite warming without water. Mild peat, a lot of leafy notes. Evolving on brine, mushrooms and hints of ink. Water brings out lemon balm and sweet notes (not exactly fruity though) with more smoke in the background. Finish: long, smoky but relatively simple with lemon and a salty edge.

This Caol Ila shows an impressive power but smoothness at the same time. Great old-style coal smoke as well. Worth around € 400 now.

Score: 88/100

Caol Ila 32 yo 1979
(52%, The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2011, bourbon hogshead, 242 btl.)

Nose: beautifully fresh and warm at the same time. The freshness comes from maritime notes (seaweed, shells, mercurochrome) and eucalyptus, while warmer notes are added by yellow apples, soft buttercups and vanilla. The balance is perfect! Hints of limestone. Wax. Leather. And a soft veil of smoke. Mouth: dry, medicinal notes up front (bandages, iodine), with some camphor and kelp. Then a spicy / salty wave, herbal tea and liquorice. A little tar. Leather. Lemon and grapefruit zest. Finish: long, again balanced, softly briny with a coating lemon sweetness.

I would have loved a little more rounded sweetness on the palate, but nonetheless a delicious Caol Ila. Refined as always, very drinkable and extremely consistent.
Around € 190.

Score: 90/100

Caol Ila 29 yo 1980 (54%, Malts of Scotland 2009, cask #4935, 175 btl.)

Nose: let’s start by saying the smoke is rather light for a Caol Ila. It’s mostly new leather that shines through at first with some fruity notes, like warm apples, tangerines and even chocolate bars with a tropical fruits filling (mango). I don’t think I’ve ever had a Caol Ila with such a tropical side. Lots of spices as well (mint). A bit of paraffin. Just light waves of typical coastal / smokey / medicinal notes. A bit shy maybe, if you’re used to powerful (younger) Caol Ila, but most elegant and very smooth. Mouth: rich and slightly more typical with linseed oil, camphor, grapefruit juice and some pepper, although it stays rather sweet. Much more smoke now. Cherry liqueur. Liquorice. A very slight bitterness underneath the sweet sherry (like pink grapefruit). A few  resinous notes as well. Finish: long, growing saltier and drier.

A very good old Caol Ila with a profile that we don’t see very often. The sherried sweetness works well, and the result is really smooth while at the same time showing the typical Caol Ila power. Very fair price: € 130. Recommended!

Score: 90/100

Caol Ila 30yo 1981 (50%, Liquid Treasures “Seabirds” 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead)

Nose: starts lemony, briny and slightly resinous but quickly there are sweeter notes (clementine, marzipan) and a hint of vanilla – just enough to balance it. Quite some medicinal elements, cold ashes and gentle smoke. Seems younger than it is. Mouth: powerful. More peat now, a dry kind of peat. Then it grows typically austere and coastal, with walnut skin, medicinal notes, all kinds of citrus zest, hints of salmiak and big salty notes. Big flavours. Finish: long, zesty, briny with quite some ashes.

Quite a powerful Caol Ila, which hasn’t lost any of its youthful nervosity. Around € 125. Available from eSpirits in Germany.

Score: 88/100

ps/ There’s a similar Caol Ila 1981/2011 in the Liquid Sun series. That one’s a tad less rounded on the nose and even more powerful (not to say brutal) in the mouth.

Caol Ila 30 yo 1981 (59,2%, Malts of Scotland 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, MoS #11009, 117 btl.)

Nose: very elegant and sweet. Marzipan, clementine, some banana. Hints of vanilla and pastry, some creamy notes (rice milk, Almendrina paste). Very interesting, and overall very refined and balanced. Develops some medicinal notes and very soft ashy touches but it never becomes an Islay monster. Great silky elegance. Mouth: oily mouthfeel with much more peat now. More pronounced coastal notes as well. Still this banana / almond creaminess. Some lemon and punchy pepper. Finish: long, initially salty but then returning to citrus and pepper.

This Caol Ila develops nicely from a discreet, rounded nose to a powerful, relatively peaty body without losing its balanced smoothness. High quality and fairly priced. Around € 130.

Score: 90/100

The Nectar is the Belgian importer of Arran, Springbank, Samaroli… and Duncan Taylor. They also bottle their own casks in the Daily Dram series.

Caol Ila 26yo 1982 
(54,6%, Duncan Taylor 2008, for The Nectar, cask #2738, 279 btl.)

Nose: nice and clean. Rather ashy but quite fruity as well. Lemon and lychee. Vanilla. Hints of smoked bacon, liquorice and bonfires. After a while, it starts getting slightly farmy (wet wool, stables) which is something I really appreciate. Some coastal notes as well. Complex with a subtle balance. Mouth: big invasion of peat, mineral notes and citrus. Quite salty and very powerful, more than you would expect at this age. Develops on sweeter notes. Finish on liquorice with a salty edge. Sweet peat smoke and lemon pie.

Like the previous cask: high quality Caol Ila with a large range of flavours to be discovered. Since it was bottled for a local distributor, it will be hard to find outside of Belgium. Around € 125.

Score: 89/100

Most of Caol Ila’s production goes into the Johnnie Walker blend. Only around 5% is reserved to be bottled as single malt. While there is a warehouse at the distillery on Islay, most of today’s production is shipped to the mainland and stored there. This 26 years old was matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead.

Caol Ila 26y 1982 (63%, The Whisky Agency 2009, Perfect Dram I, 120 btl.)

Nose: quite some alcohol, you need to warm it up considerably or add some water to release the flavours. Quite some iodine and medicinal associations. Sea breeze, seaweed. The usual peat and coal smoke. Rather sharp and tingling. A tad grassy as well. Faint notes of a rather sweaty salami. With water: fresher notes. Lemon, apples and walnuts. Some leather. Very good and rather typical Caol Ila, I would say. Mouth: much sweeter with lots of vanilla. Some smoked bacon or lomo ibérico. Tarry notes. With water: less sweet, more grassy. Liquorice. Green tea. Long and smokey finish. Hints of smoked fish, salted almonds and cocoa.

Nicely coastal, well balanced and certainly one of the more complex Caol Ilas I’ve had. Around € 130.

Score: 88/100

Caol Ila 27 yo 1982 (50%, The Whisky Agency 2009, rum finish, 115 btl.)

Nose: strange nose, with harsh, sour notes alongside a syrupy sweetness. Some gouache paint and thinner. Not much smoke. Water highlights the sweetness and brings out farmy notes and wet limestone. Mouth: again slightly harsh with a peppery burn. Then it goes into the coastal notes (salted fish, brine) with light smoke. Finally a few associations from the rum emerge: brown sugar and green banana. Finish: long, pungent. Water eases it a little.

One of the very few releases by Whisky Agency that didn’t really appeal to me. Let’s just blame the rum and forget about it. Around € 120 at the time.

Score: 79/100

Caol Ila 27 yo 1982 (62,4%, The Whisky Agency 2009, Perfect Dram II, bourbon hogshead, 108 btl.)

Nose: very kippery, with smoked fish and oysters. Camphor and bandages (you know the kind of iodine impregnated gauze used for skin burn? that’s what I mean). Clean peat and quite a lot of pepper. Some farmy hints underneath. A few fruity notes are noticeable on a second level (apple pie, vanilla. sweet ginger). Mouth: big impact, nice mouthfeel, tarry and smokey. Again a faint (citrus) sweetness in the background. A few herbal notes, nutmeg and pepper. Finish: loooong and peaty.

A great Caol Ila, one of the best I’ve had from The Whisky Agency. Complex, exemplary and very intense. Around € 130 at the time, but I’m afraid all bottles are gone.

Score: 90/100

When I started collecting whisky, this was a must-have bottle, certainly after it won a silver medal at the 2006 Malt Maniacs Awards.

Caol Ila 21 yo 1984 (58,5%, Dewar Rattray
for The Nectar 2006, bourbon cask #6266,
251 btl.)

Nose: moderately peaty with sweet lemon juice, candied zest and vanilla. Some dried hay and liquorice. Nice balance of pastry notes (butter cake) and drier hints of limestone, minerals and seafood. There’s a great farmy side to it as well, which grows stronger with a few drops of water. Quite rounded and gentle but very complex. Mouth: oily and mouth-coating. A much bigger peatiness now. Bread crust. Caramelized apples. Becomes drier and spicy in the end. Finish: very long, sweet with peat and coastal hints.

One of the best Caol Ila I’ve had. I feel lucky to have secured a bottle back then. Around € 110 but probably impossible to find now, except in auctions.

Score: 91/100

Caol Ila 25 yo 1984 (51%, Kintra 2010, bourbon hogshead, cask #5395, 60 btl.)

Nose: quite pungent and very smokey. Wet earth, ashes, seaweed and peat… full of power. Some mint. Slightly more medicinal than an average Caol Ila (iodine). What’s great is the faint, sweet background of blackcurrant although it’s difficult to pin down. Nice balance. Mouth: oily, very earthy and smokey (bacon). Starts half-sweet with roasted coffee beans. Then growing medicinal and peppery with the sweetness fading to slightly bitter notes of tonic water and grapefruit zest. Liquorice as well. Finish: long and salted, with medicinal notes and peat again.

Very punchy and smokey, with a balanced amount
of citrus zest and a tiny drop of sweetness. Exactly what we hope for when trying a mature Caol Ila. Recommended and well priced: around € 110.

Score: 88/100

Caol Ila 19yo 1992 (50,5%, The Whisky Agency ‘Moody Lions’ 2011, ex-bourbon cask, 207 btl.)

Nose: great coastal notes (kelp, sea water), oils and a light peatiness. Superb freshness. Wet wool, a little chalk. Clean but there’s a welcome rounded almond / vanilla / buttery touch in the background which makes this nicely balanced. Hints of apples and lime. Mouth: nice attack, medium sweet, more peaty now and quite oily with a buttery / fat mouthfeel. A little iodine and lemon sweets. Smoke. Again pretty coastal with a salty edge. Trademark Caol Ila. Finish: long and still rounded. Lemon and almonds. Mint. Ashes.

One of these very good Coal Ilas (always a sure bet if you ask me), fairly rounded this time with nice hints of sweetness on top of the usual Islay elements. Very drinkable and affordable. Around € 90.

Score: 88/100

Caol Ila 1996 (58%, OB 2009, Cask #19313, Feis Isle 2009)

Nose: sparkling nose, rather minty. Fresh citrus on one hand, and darker, roasted notes on the other hand (coffee beans, freshly baked bread). Interesting duality. Smokey / peaty but in a rather subtle way, with a whiff of vanilla and Caol Ila’s typical sweatiness as well. Delicate farmy notes when slightly warmed. Chocolate notes from the sherry cask. Mouth: mmhhh, very nice. Banana at first, sweet attack with fruity notes (oranges too) fighting the peat smoke. A serious pinch of salt and seaweed as well. Again with a toasted edge, really delicious. Finish:  peppered start with some cocoa notes. The sweetness evolves into a long, ashy aftertaste.

I was really impressed by this Caol Ila 1996 and I would definitely have bought a bottle (around € 85). Just wonderful.

Score: 92/100

Caol Ila 10 yo 1999 (61,9%, OB 2010, Feis Ile, sherry cask #305646)

Nose: freshly toasted bread with salted butter. Roasted malt and peat smoke. Nutmeg. More maritime than last year: seaweed, tarry ropes, fishnets. Some iodine and bandages. Quite dry – the sherry is very shy until you add water, then it becomes much more fruity with cooked fruits (tangerine, pineapple). I find this one more typical (also less surprising) than its older brother, but it really unfolds with water. Mouth: in line with the nose, with added citrus sweetness. Strong peat with a thin chocolate coating. Growing saltier towards the end, on olive juice and cocoa. Finish: salty / sweet. Long and ashy.

This Caol Ila seems more powerful than the 2009 Feis Ile edition. Sharper and less sweet. Very good but I prefer last year’s cask. Original price: around € 90.

Score: 89/100

Caol Ila 10 yo 2000 (46%, A.D. Rattray 2011, bourbon cask #309530, 322 btl.)

Nose: a bit more peat than expected. Aromatic peat, with coastal notes (wet rocks) and medicinal elements but with a rounded sweetness in the background as well. Lemon candy. Green apple. Clean and simple. Mouth: again quite peaty with the same lemon candy theme. Youngish but very juicy, nicely mixed with coastal notes. Ashes. Liquorice. Nice mocha / butterscotch towards the end. Finish: quite long and ashy with a lemon / salt combo.

This Caol Ila proudly displays its well-made, youthful simplicity and clean Islay character. A nice and affordable gift for an Islay-lover, I would say.
Around € 50.

Score: 85/100

Caol Ila Moch (43%, OB 2010)

Nose: fresh and youngish. Mildly smoky with a sweet, candied profile. Lemon zest and lemon pie. Ginger lemonade. Hints of lemongrass. Coastal notes as well. Pleasantly harmless. Mouth: oily but the body is a little soft. Sweet, malty and quite fruity. Gentle peat with wood smoke. Creamy lemon (which sometimes had a fragrant, soapy edge). Still quite maritime. Finish: not too long, with the sweet malt fading first and the smoke having the last word.

The lightness of this Coal Ila Moch made me think of Ardbeg Blasda in a way, although this is certainly more peaty, more typically Islay and more balanced. An elegant introduction to Islay, less bold than the standard bottlings. Around € 30-35.

Score: 82/100

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