Review by: Raygun

A nice straightforward Caol Ila picked by the Broken Barrel Club in Hawaii and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail under the Connoisseur’s Choice label.  Sample and pic courtesy of Whiskery Turnip. Rested about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Caol Ila 

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail   

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 57.6% 

Age: 11 years. Distilled in 2009 and bottled on March 10, 2021.  

Cask type: Refill bourbon barrel #306885, 171 bottles.

Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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***

Nose: Seems to be medium peat, with an earthy, kind of farmy aspect. Also the grilled shrimp and smoked fish that puts me in mind of Ledaig. Very coastal, with beach sand and a dash of smoked caramel.    

Palate: OK, more than medium peat. A lot of peat. Nice sweetness to it. Vanilla cake, charred fennel, grilled fish. Definite beachside feel to it, which again makes me think of Ledaig. Also a touch of grunginess. Pick up some charred lemon this time, and even more grilled fish.    

Finish: Has staying power. A biscuity flavor (American style). Grilled seafood. That little touch of farm/grunge and a good amount of smoke. Nice maltiness still comes through. More herbal flavor, and a sharpness that’s like horseradish. Weird.    

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Guess: This feels like Ledaig. Caol Ila is very possible as well, but I still lean Ledaig. Bourbon cask, around 12 years, mid-50s ABV.      

Post-reveal thoughts: So it was Caol Ila! Refill bourbon, which will account for the relative lack of woody flavors. Very much a distillate driven expression. Missing the mineral aspects I often find in Caol Ila, but nevertheless a good representative of the distillery.  

Conclusion: A pretty conventional Caol Ila for the most part, except for the hint of horseradish on the finish. That was interesting. I appreciated the lack of strong cask influence. I may be an oddball in that my favorite Caol Ila expressions have been unpeated. It’s such a nice malt on its own. This is a pretty classic example of the peated style, though lacking an extra gear to make it special.     

Buy a bottle? I’m good. 

Score: 77

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)