Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks

First tasting of the Signatory Vintage 30th anniversary bottling of a 35 year old Caol Ila, tasted alongside a very, very good bottle of OB Caol Ila 30yr from 2014. Both distilled in 1983. Fuck me, this is a good evening. Tasted on 8/18/2020, neat in a Glencairn.

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Caol Ila 30 Year (1983)

No statement on filtering or color, but this particular bottle has always been notable for the large amount of particles in it. So I’m guessing no chill filtering, and I’d say poor filtering in general, which is always fine by me. It’s also rather pale, so if they added color it wasn’t much.

Distillery: Caol Ila

Bottler: Distillery Bottling

Region: Scotland, Islay

ABV: 55.1%, cask strength

Age: 30 years old. Distilled in 1983. Bottled in 2014.

Cask type: Refill American & European Oak

Non-chill-filtered. #6309 of 7,638 bottles.

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Nose: light peat smoke is first, earthy, citrus (lemon), sea spray, perhaps a bit of machine oil under there. It’s almost delicate. With water, the smoke pops a bit more but otherwise it’s the same.

Taste: wow. Light smoke, some very small pepper, lemon, nectarines, a bit of the sea, a little salt, oily, coats the mouth well. With water, same.

Finish: ah, lovely earthy smoke takes over right away, a bit of oak, sweet citrus lingers, vanilla, remains oily, very long, slightly dry though not much. With water, same.

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Damn, this is an excellent Caol Ila. A mild, earthy peat smoke forward then everything else is in balance behind it. Whatever you think about Diageo, they nailed this one. Water is not necessary at all, though it opened up the smoke in the nose a bit more which was nice. It’s not overly complex, but what it does it does extremely well.

Final Score: 92.

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Caol Ila 35 Year (1983) Signatory Vintage 30th Anniversary

First dram out of the bottle, which arrived yesterday.

Distillery: Caol Ila

Bottler: Signatory Vintage (SV)

Region: Scotland, Islay

ABV: 52.7%, cask strength

Age: 35 years old. Distilled on 11/08/1983. Bottled on 12/12/2018.

Cask type: Hogshead

Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. #128 of 213 bottles, from a single cask #5290.

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Nose: very light clean smoke, candle wax, sweet citrus, lemon, more waxy notes, leather, sea spray. The nose is quite different from the 30yr with that waxiness mixed in. Over time it shifts back and forth for me between smoke first and wax first. With water, same.

Taste: lemon, wax, salt, the sea, drying, light smoke, a bit of oil in the taste, certainly oily in feel. With water, a bit less drying but it’s still there, smoke is a bit more prominent but still well balanced.

Finish: dry, waxy, more sea and salt, a touch of pepper, very light smoke. Honestly a bit shorter than I’d have expected. With water, pretty much the same, perhaps a bit more smoke.

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This is beautifully balanced Caol Ila. No one note overpowers the others. It’s all there throughout. Water is not necessary at all, and I’ll not add any in the future. The waxiness of this is fantastic; it’s a note I like and it works well here. Like the 30yr, it’s not a very complex dram but it is absolutely excellent.

Final Score: 92.

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Comparison

Order: 30yr slightly better than the 35yr

This is a tough call and somewhat splitting hairs as they’re both extremely good and quite similar. Both are excellent, easy 8’s. Neither is particularly complex, but boy do they work well. Personally, I’ve got to give the nod to that earthy peat smoke of the 30yr. I love that waxiness in the 35yr, but I love that earthy peat of the 30yr more. An argument could be made the other way, easily, but there it is.

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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.