Review by: Raygun

An undisclosed Islay that is most likely Caol Ila. Infrequent Flyers is the brand for Alistair Walker Whisky Company, and Alistair Walker may be most famous for being the son of Billy Walker. Alistair has been running his own bottler since 2018. I haven’t had many. He tends toward odd finishes and that’s not my personal preference. Nothing odd here, as it’s a simple (bourbon) hogshead. Rested about 15 minutes. 

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Distillery: Undisclosed Islay (Caol Ila?) 

Bottler: Alistair Walker Whisky Company

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 57.7%. Cask strength. 

Age: 14 years. Distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2020. 

Cask type: Hogshead #306127, 257 bottles.

Color: 0.6 old gold. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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NoNose: Charcoal smoke with a very coastal, briney presentation. A hint of swimming pool and mineral that’s reminding me of beach sand. Caol Ila certainly fits. Lemon cookies.     

Palate: Lemony again, and some nice smoky salted caramel and apples. It has the coastal and mineral aspects here, too, and a little green olive. Very clean, which certainly doesn’t suggest Laphroaig. Bowmore is conceivable and I suppose there’s a very small chance it’s Lagavulin. But Caol Ila is the most plausible.   

Finish: Sweet with clean smoke. Caramel, cookies, lemon, and something like olive oil. A definite mineral and salty touch with a nice buttery texture.      

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Conclusion: It’s hard to go wrong with Caol Ila, and this certainly doesn’t. No major surprises: you get about exactly what you’d expect from teenage Caol Ila in a bourbon cask. I find the ceiling on Caol Ila isn’t as high as others on Islay, but it does have a very high floor. Solid stuff here.

Score: 82

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)