Caol Ila 8 Year (2010) Signatory Vintage Un-Chillfiltered Collection

Review by: The Muskox

There are an enormous number of 8-year-old Caol Ilas bottled by Signatory vintage. I think I know exactly which bottling this is, as a mutual friend of smoked_herring’s and mine had a sample of this bottling listed on his (1200 bottle) Whiskybase collection. I tend to enjoy young Caol Ilas, and I’ve been binging on wine-cask whiskies lately, so this should be nice.

Distillery: Caol Ila.

Bottler: Signatory Vintage.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 46%, cask strength.

Age: 8 years old. Distilled on 10/12/2010. Bottled on 11/30/2018.

Cask type: Cask #318690, #318691, Hogsheads.

Color: Traw. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Coastal and lemony. Seawater and fresh-made dashi. A bit of an industrial garage note, almost plasticky. Green bananas, celery sticks, and nectarines. Sandy beach. Not really all that smoky, per se.

Palate: Light texture. Lemon wedges, sea spray, and lightly vegetal on the arrival. Dark charred oak on the development with freshly-polished leather boots, extra-dark unsweetened chocolate, and some ashy smoke. Wet grass, rock dust, and seaside chalk cliffs.

Finish: Medium-length and coastal. Lemon peels and pickled ginger. Char-grilled shrimp. Coffee grounds, that extra-dark chocolate, toffee, and buttered burnt nuts. A hint of bonito flake.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Nautical numpty”

Notes: A bit of a dud, unfortunately. The nose is pretty austere and flat, dominated by minerals and weird industrial notes. The palate has a bit of a bitterness to it, and the chalky note isn’t helping things. I think the finish is my favourite part, as that nuttiness and chocolate start to come through. It doesn’t help that I tried Port Askaig 100 Proof the other day (no review yet), which to me was a shockingly better example of young Caol Ila than this. Goes to show that it’s not all created equal!

Final Score: 71.

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.

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