Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I have a weakness for young IB Caol Ila… and here’s two more! Both 11 years old, distilled and bottled in the same year, both ex-bourbon casks, but different IB’s and no relation otherwise.
Tasted on 7/19/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
Caol Ila 11 Year (2008) Spirits Salon Super Bottle
Did I buy this bottle for the label? Yes, yes I did. And for the box, and the coaster. Especially the coaster. I will use this coaster in every tasting henceforth. Sue me. And I like a little gamble now and then, so why not.
I see some nice sediment in this bottle, too. Always a good sign.
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Spirits Salon (SpSl)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 56.5%, cask strength
Age: 11 years old. Distilled in 2008. Bottled in 2020.
Cask type: Hogshead
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 348 bottles, from a single cask #14.
Nose: very bready, malty. Beach bonfire. Very maritime; seawater, seashells. Lemon, apples. Pepper. Iodine. With Water: even more smoke. Olive oil. Slightly floral, can’t quite put my finger on it.
Taste: tons of smoke. Ash. Bread. Seawater. Lemon, apple. Lots of pepper. With Water: same.
Finish: big wood smoke and ash. Lemon. Seawater. Pepper. Medium length on smoke, seawater, and pepper. With Water: more bready, smoke might be even bigger.
Summary: It’s like someone put a bread oven on the beach and fired it with driftwood and seaweed. Very maritime. Big, big ashy smoke. Some nice lemon and apple, and w/ water a bit oily and even floral. A few simple flavors, really nicely balanced, and I’m honestly surprised how good this is. I mean, I bought it as a joke and I was 100% prepared to pan it. But after some time with it I’d put it right in there with some of the nice Lagavulin 12’s.
In fact, hold on a sec… let’s pour the first Laga 12 I can lay my hands on in the Scotch Cave. It’s the 2021, the one w/ the fire lion. Yep, this fits right in there, easily, and shall get the same score.
Would I buy a bottle? yes. Got this one for 95gbp and it feels like money very, very well spent.
Final Score: 88.
Caol Ila 11 Year (2008) The Whisky Jury
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: The Whisky Jury (TWJ)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 53.1%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled in 10/2008. Bottled in 06/2020.
Cask type: Bourbon Hogshead
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. #67 of 280 bottles, from a single cask #twj-Ci02.
Nose: wood smoke, ash. Lemon, apricot, peach. Iodine. Tar. Rubber. Hot sand. Seaweed. With Water: more smoke, more lemon and bright fruits. Dry grass.
Taste: citrus. Wood smoke. Maritime. A bit hot. With Water: heat is gone. Cooking oil. Grassy. A bit thin. Tar. Even more sweet fruit.
Finish: more smoke here, ash. Lemon. Seaweed. Medicinal. Pepper. Tar. Very salty. A bit dry. With Water: dryer, very maritime and salty. Rather long on salty seawater.
Summary: This one is all about the salty maritime flavors, with lots of bright fruit, all wrapped up in some nice ashy wood smoke. Some nice hints of tar, medicinal flavors, and some grassiness to it. Very nice. My biggest knock against it is the mouthfeel is a bit thin w/ water, though water does open it up quite nicely otherwise. Feels pretty classically Islay to me. Well balanced throughout, a decent array of flavors. I would have guessed this one was older, honestly. Delicious, and again a surprise.
Would I buy a bottle? sure. The price on this one was alright (130gbp), and I feel like it was worth it. Wouldn’t go higher, though.
Final Score: 88.
Comparison
Order: Super Bottle > Whisky Jury
Heh, this is the hardest ordering in a while. I pulled my wife into it, and she’s also stuck. We both like them a lot for different reasons.
The Super Bottle is much bigger all around. Massive smoke, all that bread. The Whisky Jury is more subtle, more refined, more fruit-forward, and oh so maritime. WJ reads quite a bit older to both of us as well. It’s a coin toss, and tonight I’m gonna break the tie based on mouthfeel.
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 