Caol Ila SMWS 53.159 – “A Captain of Industry”

Review by: TOModera

Here’s something… funny about Canada. It’s big. Like, really big.

So when I found out that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society was in Canada, I was super stoked. I mean, for a (comparatively) low amount of money, I could be buying IB bottles and going to tastings. And then finding out that there is no store in Ontario, and that the closest store was a 3 hour flight (or a 4 day drive) away was… well, disheartening.

So when I walked into another hipster bar (oh god, I’m a flannel shirt and black rimmed glasses away from saying “I liked it before it was cool”) and saw they had some bottles of SMWS, I totally geeked out. I was finally going to try some.

Up first we have A Captain of Industry – SMWS 53.159. 53 is Caol Ila, though one smell gave away this was an Islay.

Distillery: Caol Ila Distillery.

Bottler: SMWS.

Region: Islay, Scotland.

ABV: 57%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 1995. Bottled in 2012.

Cask type: Refill Hogshead.

Price: No longer available in Canada

Color: White with a little bit of yellow and green

Nose: Peat, iodine, lemon, white chocolate, smoked meat, light cheap mustard, pepper, salami

Wow. This is… oh god, so peppery, and meaty, and that sweetness and saltiness, and the perfect amount of everything.

Taste: lemon, smoke, sea air, beaches, burn, salami, medicinal, cinnamon, cocoa, bitter melon

There’s everything great about Christmas and the Beach all wrapped up into one here. Just the right amount of bitterness for me as well, makes me want to order some more.

Finish: Chocolate, nutmeg, iodine, double smoked boar bacon, peat

Long, chocolatey, and smokey finish. Not as intense as some Old Malt Cask, but oh god that bacon taste is divine. Like, have a cigar, smack out a seagull, and eat a cookie divine.

Conclusion: This here’s the tits. Seriously tasty dram, has a really dirty, almost industrial flavour to it, yet I found the taste to have some clean spots just to relax your tastebuds a little. I wanted a tiny bit more on the finish, which is a nit pick just to allow my score. Honestly, pick this up if you can find it.

Final Score: 88.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Leave a comment