June 16, 2014

Caol Ila eight times part one

First, four young ones. We’ll have four older ones tomorrow. But the first one won’t be the youngest among the youngsters, it’ll be the lightest…

Caol Ila 12 yo 2001/2014 (43%, Chieftain's, hogshead, casks #309965-309966, 911 bottles)

A young and lightish Caol Ila that’s priced at… arrh, err… 84€. Who buys a young independent Caol Ila at 43% vol. – however good - for 84€ these days? The price for the very good 12yo OB at 43% vol. is 45€, for crying out loud! Colour: white wine. Nose: ultra-clean, narrow, mineral, flinty, with just wee whiffs of iodine and seaweed. Light smoke. Pleasant… Mouth: sweeter, still simple and rather light, salty and mildly peaty, with a discreet wax and a little lemon juice. A bit thin. Finish: medium length. It’s the coastal brininess that does the work. Candy sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: I think it’s very good because Caol Ila’s always very good. Other than that, well, there’s plenty out there… SGP:446 - 82 points (let’s remain fair!)

Cl6 (61.2%, Speciality Drinks, Elements of Islay, 2014)

… in this lovely ‘chemical’ bottle. Speaking of chemicals, 61.2% vol. could suggest it’s rocket fuel, let’s see… Colour: straw. Nose: highly grassy and mineral, it’s almost pulverised limestone mixed with green tea, lemon juice and coal. It’s all a little silent, but that was to be expected at this strength. With water: it got very, very dry, extremely ashy, with only whiffs of farmyard, raw wool and soaked grains behind that. Perhaps a few fresh almonds and one or two goldens (the apples.) Mouth (neat): powerful, extremely narrow and sharp, this is almost pure lime juice. The worst part is the fact that I enjoy this style. With water: becomes only a notch smoother, but the lime remains there. And then we have the mandatory iodine, brine and pepper. Finish: long, ashy, smoky, slightly inky and peppery. Comments: don’t look for much complexity, but it really does the job. SGP:357 - 86 points.

Caol Ila 2000/2014 ‘Feis Ile’ (55.5%, OB, refill American oak hogsheads, 1,500 bottles)

Caol Ila 2000/2014 ‘Feis Ile’ (55.5%, OB, refill American oak hogsheads, 1,500 bottles) I’ve often wondered what would have been the commercial fate of Caol Ila, had Lagavulin not existed. Or if it had been chosen as a ‘Classic Malt’ instead of Lagavulin… I agree, those a really an anorak’s questions. Colour: straw. Nose: oh my, I had thought the CI6 was sharp, well this is even sharper, even more mineral and even more ‘pleasantly narrow’. Love the whiffs of damp earth and fennel in the background, though… And do I not detect gentian and wormwood? With water: the sweeter side comes out. Apples, a little marzipan, sweet barley, then raw wool and farmyard… Mouth (neat): similar to the CI6. Plenty of lime juice, roots, bitter tea, pepper… I also seem to find touches of coconut, most probably from the American wood. No quite pina colada though, this is not ********. With water: same changes again, although once again, this one’s a notch earthier. Lime, salt… Finish: long, clean, lemony, a tad fruitier than the CI6. Marzipan. The coconut is back in the aftertaste. Comments: same ballpark, although the freshish oak’s more apparent here. SGP:457 - 86 points.

Caol Ila 13 yo 2000/2014 (54.9%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 14018, 245 bottles)

Malts of Scotland have recently issued quite a few new Caol Ilas, young and old. Colour: white wine. Nose: this little baby’s rather more on iodine, antiseptic, seawater… I also find touches of kirsch, which is a sign of youth in my book. With water: exactly the same developments yet again, more soaked barley, sweet grains, wool, farmyard… Mouth (neat): Finish: same style, obviously. Once again, this one’s maybe a notch more medicinal, with even more iodine as well, sharp lemon… With water: a little smoother and ashier at the same time. Comments: trying several very similar whiskies as we just did can be a chore at times, because they are so similar, precisely, but I do not know of a better way of exercising your nose and palate. But why am I telling you this? SGP:357 - 86 points.

Okay, enough with the youngsters, tomorrow we’ll have four much older Caol Ilas! I hope we’ll find more nuances…