Review by: dustbunna
Caol Ila has sort of snuck in to become one of my favorite go-to distilleries, and one where I’m seeking out independent bottlings fairly often– because they produce so much more than any other Islay distillery, there are tons of options to try in the IB scene, much of it quite consistent quality. Signatory Vintage has had a recent run of refill hogshead Caol Ilas released in “duo casks”, marrying two single casks with the same distillation and maturation date. This pair of hoggies were filled 01/25/2007 and bottled 12/10/2019, six weeks shy of 13 years old.
Distillery: Caol Ila.
Bottler: Signatory Vintage.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 55.7%. Cask strength.
Age: 12 years. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: Two vatted refill ex-bourbon hogsheads.
Price: $90 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: walking into an ice cream parlor (complete with waffle cones, vanilla, and the scent of the equipment), gentle smoke, rich coastal minerals/seaside rock pools, water brings out tangerines and basil, sweet mint, pears, lemon candy, pine resin.
Palate: full body ~ astringent arrival, following through with more of the gentle smoke and ice cream parlor notes, a bit hot at first but a drop or two of water keeps it in check, herbal notes, liquorice tea, tarragon, lemon mint, lemon verbena.
Finish: long ~ lingering beach bonfire smoke, lemon zest, leans into lemon juice towards the heel.
Conclusion: What an awesome whisky… makes me think of walking into Baskin-Robbins as a kid, that overwhelming and unique scent is recreated vividly in this glass. Moving towards the heel, it trades some of the complex scents and tastes that make up that experience for something noticeably more lemony and herbal– sweet, sour, and tangy in various places.
In a way this is very much like Lagavulin 12CS for me, which makes sense given the age and choice of casks– maybe slightly less perfect in its balance than that whisky, but also conjuring up an especially potent and enjoyable memory. I like this a touch more than the OB unpeated 17yr which I had open alongside it, as well. I do wish there was a bit more going on in the finish after what the nose and palate offer, but the peat smoke allows it to linger nicely and honestly it’s a minor nitpick when the flavors that are there are so enjoyable. This has got a hell of a lot of character, and is pretty consistent, though I personally think it was just marginally better in the top half of the bottle.
Final Score: 90.
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 