Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
My last 14 reviews have been from Islay, but I don’t care so I’m gonna work my way through the rest of my Caol Ila. That’ll be 9 more. Fight me.
We’ll start off with two fairly standard expressions, but older bottles: the stock 12 year old and the Distiller’s Edition from the mid-2000’s.
Tasted on 4/5/2021, neat in a Glencairn.
This is one of those little 20cl bottles from those Classic Malts 3-packs, bottled a short 16 years ago. I got this little guy at an auction uber-cheap in 2016. I really need to get a sample of a current bottling…
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 43.0%
Age: 12 years old. Bottled in 2005.
Nose: Peat. Wood smoke. Fresh apples and lemons. Iodine. Sea spray. Mild pepper. Perhaps a bit grassy.
Taste: peat and wood smoke. A bit ashy. Black pepper. Apples and lemons. A touch of seawater. Rather thin mouthfeel. Some camphor.
Finish: peat and smoke, ash. Pepper and lemons and apples. A little camphor, and a touch of seawater. Fairly short, trailing off somewhat bitter.
Summary: A reasonable smoky dram from Islay. Nothing fancy here; it’s pretty simple all around. Some nice fresh fruit and citrus with peat, smoke, and a little medicinal and maritime. The nose is the best part. The taste is reasonable but simple, with a thin mouthfeel. The finish is short and loses some of the notes from elsewhere, and there’s a distinct bitter note that comes out at the end and lingers.
Would I buy a bottle? nah. I’ve always been of the mind that the minimum viable standard Caol Ila expression is the 18yr, and this did nothing to change that.
Final Score: 77.
Caol Ila Distillers Edition (1995)
This is the standard Distillers Edition from 2007, also acquired in 2016. A 70cl bottle for the UK market.
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 43.0%
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1995. Bottled in 2007.
Cask type: Double Matured in Moscatel Cask Wood
Nose: wood smoke, mild peat. Fruity w/ apples, lemons, bananas, coconut. It’s rather tropical. Very mild medicinal and maritime notes. Eucalyptus. Butter. Sweet wine.
Taste: ashy wood smoke. A touch of peat. Fruity as on the nose. Quite dry. Lots of sweet wine. Very thin mouthfeel. A lot of white pepper builds.
Finish: it’s tropical fruit first, then ashy smoke and peat, then some of the apple and lemons return. Remains pretty astringent. Lots of sweet wine and white pepper. Short finish.
Summary: This is dominated by the wine, and if you gave it to me blind I wouldn’t peg it as Caol Ila at all. Rather fruity all around, and surprisingly tropical. The smoke, peat, medicinal and maritime notes all take a back seat. Fairly spicy, too, and I’d say the spice lingers on the finish the longest. Overall a simple dram, poorly balanced, and an overdone finish.
Would I buy a bottle? nope. I’d love to try a recent Caol Ila DE though to see how it’s evolved. I’ve heard that they got the wine influence under control over the years.
Final Score: 72.
Comparison
Order: 12yr > DE
This is an easy call. The 12yr gives you what you’d expect from Caol Ila and from Islay in general. The DE loses it behind a hamfisted finish. Sure, the 12yr is simple and finishes poorly, but it’s a good dram that everyone who likes Islay should try.
These standard Caol Ila expressions haven’t blown my skirt up in a long time. They’re good drams, don’t get me wrong, but this is not at all where Caol Ila shines, and oh does it shine when you get into IB’s and special releases. Stay tuned.
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.
Malt Runners 