Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Continuing with my effort to review the rest of my Caol Ila, today we have two young IB’s from Hunter Laing’s “Sovereign” series, both picks for K&L Wines.
Tasted on 4/12/2021, neat in a Glencairn.
Stock image from K&L Wines, retrieved 2021/4/12.
Caol Ila 10 Year (2010) Hunter Laing Soverign for K&L
This one isn’t actually labeled Caol Ila. It’s called “Islay Straight” and it’s blended. This was an effort last year to get around the extra tariffs by “teaspooning” a bit of another distillery’s juice (in this case a smidge of Bunna) into the cask. It’s technically blended now, so it bypassed the tariffs, but really it’s a Caol Ila single cask. Oh the things we’ll do to keep whisky affordable!
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Hunter Laing (HL)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 59.6%, cask strength
Age: 10 years old. Distilled in 08/2010. Bottled in 09/2020.
Cask type: Sherry Butt Finish
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 663 bottles, from a single cask #HL 18074.
Nose: big peat and wood smoke. Sulphur. Some citrus and tropical fruits under there. Medicinal with iodine and camphor. Quite mineral, too. Oak. Maybe a hint of sea spray in there, but only a hint. With Water: some new leather. More fruit. A very nice balance of smoke, fruit, and medicinal notes now.
Taste: peat and wood smoke. Ashy. Sulphur. Citrus. Camphor, eucalyptus. Vanilla. Oak. Medium-ish mouthfeel. A bit hot. With Water: more fruit for sure, and more tropical. Less heat. Otherwise similar.
Finish: nice burst of peat and wood smoke, still a bit ashy. Lots of iodine and camphor. Sulphur. Tropical fruits. Oak. Rather long. A touch bitter on the end of it. With Water: again, more fruit, but otherwise similar. Oh, the bitter end is gone.
Summary: This is not the most complex dram on the planet, and it’s not the most balanced either. Lots of big peat and burning wood. Lots of sulphur and medicinal notes. And some nice fruit mixed in there. It’s a delicious combination. Takes water very well and it brings out more fruit and adds better balance to the nose for sure. Not a typical Caol Ila at all, but that’s a common phrase with IB Caol Ila.
Would I buy a bottle? if I found it at a bargain, sure. But I wouldn’t seek it out. It’s an odd profile that I’m glad I got to try, but I’m probably fine with this one sample.
Final Score: 87.
Caol Ila 7 Year (2010) Hunter Laing Sovereign for K&L
Somewhat of an interesting cask here. From the description at K&L: “The Laing’s are taking used sherry butts, filling them with sherry for a year or so and then filling fresh young Caol Ila malt in there. The result is much more significant sherry influence than you’d ever see with a quick 6-12 month finish.”
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Hunter Laing (HL)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 59.5%, cask strength
Age: 7 years old. Distilled in 08/2010. Bottled in 07/2018.
Cask type: Sherry Butt Finish
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 556 bottles, from a single cask #HL 15300.
Nose: dark, rich red stone fruits. Sweet. Peat smoke. Vanilla, toffee. Ripe apples and citrus. Iodine. Mild sea spray. With Water: hrm, same.
Taste: raisins, figs, cherries, etc. Big sherry influence. Dry. Peat smoke. Toffee. Apples. Mild pepper. Medium-thin mouthfeel. A bit hot. With Water: not as hot, but otherwise the same.
Finish: dark stone fruits are at the front here. It’s very dry, too. Some nice peat smoke, maybe a little soot. Very ripe apples and some lemon. Mild pepper, camphor. Medium-ish length. With Water: same.
Summary: This one is really dominated by the sherry for me, and it’s hard to find some of the more classic maritime and medicinal Caol Ila notes you’d like to find. Lots of raisins, figs, cherries, etc. in there. It’s surprisingly astringent on the palate and finish. Balance is poor, and it’s kind of a one-trick pony with the sherry. I was hoping for more development with some added water, but it didn’t really make much difference. Overall, a decent dram but I was hoping for more from it.
Would I buy a bottle? nah.
Final Score: 82.
Comparison
Order: 10yr > 7yr
The 10yr has a pretty interesting and unique profile to me. It’s weird and I like it. The 7yr just feels like a young, over-sherried Caol Ila. I’ll take the 10yr.
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 