Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks

Well, this is it, I’m finally down to the last two bottles of Caol Ila I have on hand. I think I saved the best for last. Let’s find out for sure…

Tasted on 4/18/2021, neat in a Glencairn, then with a bit of water.

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Caol Ila 12 Year Feis Ile 2016

This was bottled for Feis Ile in 2016. A good friend was at the festival and said this was one of his favorites, and that was enough for me to seek one out on the secondary market later. An unknown mix of bourbon and sherry casks, but not many given the small run of 1,500 bottles. I’m not going to bother trying this next to some of the standard Caol Ila 12.

Distillery: Caol Ila

Bottler: Distillery Bottling

Region: Scotland, Islay

ABV: 56.2%, cask strength

Age: 12 years old. Bottled in 2016.

Cask type: Hogsheads & Bodega Sherry Butts

#1,027 of 1,500 bottles.

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Nose: earthy peat and wood smoke. Seawater, warm sand and rocks. Iodine and mint. Antiseptic. Grapefruit and lemon. Walnuts. Cream. Some oaky spices. Fatty salmon. More time in the glass and I feel like the sherry influence is coming through more for sure. With Water: oh, much more sherry now. Darker fruits, lots of nuts. More salmon. Bigger smoke, too. It’s bigger all around.

Taste: lots of big, earthy peat smoke. Ashy. Seawater and very mineral. Lots of iodine and antiseptic, too. Grapefruit. Smoked salmon. Oily mouthfeel. Oak. Walnuts, even raisins. With Water: more citrus, more oak spices. Excellent mouthfeel.

Finish: nice earthy peat smoke balanced well with seawater, medicinal, and mineral notes. Tart grapefruit. Nuts. Kinda long finish with smoke, citrus, sea, and a tinge of bitter oak on the end. With Water: similar but bigger overall. More ashy. More oak, too.

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Summary: This is very drinkable neat, despite the ABV. I don’t get a ton of sherry in this neat, though it comes through more on the nose with time in the glass. Water is excellent here though, and I’m always a fan of a dram that takes water well. More sherry, better balance and bigger all around. This is delicious. Lots of smoke, maritime notes, and the sherry influence comes through nicely. It’s more oaky than I would have expected, or liked. Moderate complexity. A great sherried Caol Ila.

Would I buy a bottle? for sure. Secondary prices remain reasonable and this is good value.

Final Score: 87.

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Caol Ila 22 Year Feis Ile 2019

Bottled for Feis Ile 2019 and another case of Diageo saying “hey, here’s a few old casks for you to enjoy for the festival at a really reasonable price.” Also, I applaud their honesty with the “sherry-treated” casks right on the bottle.

Distillery: Caol Ila

Bottler: Distillery Bottling

Region: Scotland, Islay

ABV: 58.4%, cask strength

Age: 22 years old. Bottled in 2019.

Cask type: Sherry-treated American Oak Casks

Non-chill-filtered. #274 of 3,000 bottles.

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Nose: quite subtle. Earthy, damp peat. Wood smoke. Salty sea spray, warm sand. Rather herbal. Lemon rind. Iodine and bandages. Mint, eucalyptus. Diesel. Chalk. Coal. Damn. With Water: still really subtle. More medicinal and maritime for sure. Add in some antiseptic, camphor, sea shells, bandaids, and seaweed. Some tar and old rope, too.

Taste: warm, earthy peat. Mild wood smoke. Very salty. Brine. Mineral. Those herbal notes are there, with lemon. Medicinal w/ iodine and antiseptic, mint, eucalyptus. Oily rich mouthfeel. A touch hot. Green tea. With Water: bigger smoke and peat now for sure. More citrus. Some tar. More spice.

Finish: mild peat smoke. Fruit comes through a bit more. Salty brine. Mineral w/ warm sand and chalk. Medicinal w/ lots of iodine and bandages. Very long with smoke and big maritime notes. With Water: a pop of smoke along with that fruit now. More seawater, seaweed, etc. Antiseptic. Tar. Citrus. Still long on the smoke and maritime notes.

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Summary: A little hot neat. Some nice complexity is apparent neat, too, but it’s hot on the palate and somewhat closed in the finish. But water is where it’s at with this one. Opens up and gets bigger on the palate and finish even though the nose remains really subtle; it’s a shame it didn’t open up the nose. And to be clear, the nose is so subtle that after nosing anything else (even the back of my hand) you wonder if there’s anything in there. But with some time there is a ton of complexity there. I feel like I get something new each time I go back to it. The finish on this is the shit though. You nose it and get all these little things, but the finish hits you with the big ones and they linger forever. It ends up as this salty, smoky, beach-in-a-glass that’s just delicious. To me the sherry influence on this is minimal. A light “treatment” for sure.

I’m willing to bet the very subtle nose will turn a lot of people off. But I find it really rewarding to spend some time with it.

Would I buy a bottle? yes. And I see this as under 300GBP on secondary these days, which I think is just fine.

Final Score: 90.

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Comparison

Order: 2019 > 2016

The complexity of the 2019 w/ water is excellent. The 2016 is a great dram for sure, but it’s far more simplistic. I’d take the 2019 any day.

A somewhat more interesting question would be the 2019 vs., say, the 30yr OB or the 35yr Signatory Anniversary. Re-reading my notes, I’d guess there’s more complexity with this 22yr, but I’m guessing I’d rate it below the 30yr and 35yr, both of which are truly excellent. I’ve thought a few times that I’ve underrated the 35yr Signatory actually.

Hmmm… Hold on a moment…

Trying a bit of the 35yr, I’ll say two things: 1) yea, I feel again that I’ve underrated it, especially with just a touch of water, and 2) it’s a clear winner over the 22yr here: more refined and consistent, it delivers on the nose.

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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.