Review by: The Muskox

This Caol Ila was bottled by DS Tayman, a new indie bottler whose name is a mashup of its two founders, Danny Saltman and Saul Taylor. Heh. They seem to like wine finishes, too, choosing a Bordeaux barrique for this cask of Caol Ila. There’s a lot of young Caol Ila out there – let’s see if this one sets itself apart.

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Distillery: Caol Ila.

Bottler: DS Tayman.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 46%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled in 06/2008. Bottled in 05/2021.

Cask type: Cask #1800616, Hogshead, Bordeaux red wine barrique finish.

Color: No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Sweet with light peat smoke. Red apples dusted with cinnamon, dried strawberries, pineapple, sweet wine, and brown sugar. The peat comes across as coal smoke, seared scallops, and sizzled black pepper. Sweet woody spice notes of maple syrup and flamed cedar planks. A hint of lemongrass and some cider-vinegar tartness.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Drier than the nose on the arrival, with rootier sweetness, toffee, apple, and orange. Lovely Caol Ila smoke in the middle – charcoal, salted licorice, light ash, and some kind of smoked pork product. Underlying red wine body and sweetness.

Finish: Earthy-sweet, with the wine starting to take back over here. Candy apples and blueberries. Dead leaves, grilled shrimp, and gravel.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Quaint little Islay gift shop”

Notes: Nice stuff! The Bordeaux finish totally works – it provides some extra sweetness while not covering up the peat or Caol Ila character at all. It’s nothing stunning, and suffers a little from the proof. A very friendly and decently-complex sipping whisky nonetheless, and a welcome change from the other more spirity Caol Ilas of this age.

Final Score: 83.

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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.