October 31, 2014

The Caol Ila Days, part two.
The high flyers.

No twaddle today, onto the whiskies!… And that’ll be only older ones…

Caol Ila 1982/2014 ‘Smoke on the Water’ (46%, Wemyss Malt, hogshead, 255 bottles)

I‘m not sure Wemyss are the first to nickname a peater ‘smoke on the water’. One must take risks! (But they may have chosen this name at… around 4 in the morning, while listening to Ian Gillan and gang.) Colour: pale gold. Nose: these whiskies are evident, they do not need to argue, you cannot do anything against them. Magnificently elegant, very racy, superbly balanced. Seashells, fresh walnuts, small lemons, almond oil, pu-erh tea, brine, fresh butter. Perfect combo at an oh-so approachable strength. Mouth: oh my how good this is! Again, the strength is perfect (cask strength is not always the best choice, in my opinion), and the flavours, the flavours! Olive brine, lemon juice, two anchovies and one sardine, cigar smoke, green apples, oysters, one drop of cough syrup, a little grapefruit… Coal Ila ages wonderfully and gracefully, and this is just another proof. It’s just like that American actress in House of Cards, Robin Wright. Please excuse me. Isn’t she American? Finish: medium length, super, briny, ashy, lemony and smooth at the same time. Comments: £120 a bottle. You read that right. Google is your friend, we don’t do smelly affiliation. SGP:467 - 92 points.

Caol Ila 33 yo 1979/2012 (52,7%, Maltbarn, bourbon)

Lovely label, don’t you think? They’re all pictures of the owner’s farm in Germany. Colour: straw. Nose: these 1979s are a little more buttery, and more ashy/coastal at the same time. I find a lot of hessian, whiffs of old coal oven, certainly some lapsang souchong, ashes, scoria, old house basement… Not a sexy one, but I know some lovers of this austere style. With water: more ashes, more gravel, whiffs of ink (say blue – oh Serge!) Mouth (neat): great, but less ‘evident’ than the highly drinkable Wemyss. Earth and ashes, then green apples and lemons, then salted fish. Mackerel? Rollmops? With water: ink again, cigar ashes, salted almonds, kippers… Finish: medium length, salty and briny. Comments: another version of Caol Ila, all on coastal and briny notes. And on ashes. Some enthusiasts may find it a little dry, but I don’t. SGP:367 - 90 points.

Caol Ila 30 yo 1983/2014 (55.1%, OB, Special Release, 7638 bottles)

Seven thousand six hundred and thirty eight bottles! Colour: gold. Nose: this is different. There’s some toasted oak, there is some coffee, there’s some charcoal, and there’s a very distant and almost elusive Caol-Ila-ness, which comes unexpected from the owners. What I also get, mostly, is a wonderful artisan cider, like they make in the best parts of Normandy. And old cigars (advance warning, that’s always a good sign). With water: it’s smoked cider of the highest order. I find it intriguing that Diageo’s First Nose(s) would have come up with such a profile. Mouth (neat): sweet Vishnu! This is implacable, sharp, acrid, oaky in a good way, mercurochromy spirit from Islay. Much bigger, powerful, and almost aggressive than expected. I even find it a little dangerous. With water: oh lovely. Smoother, gentler, civilised. Smoke and rosehips, I’d say. Finish: long, and earthy, and great. It strikes back. Comments: more a fight than a tasting. This aggressive old baby stands up to the taster. I’m bowing to the ground (of course not, they can…) SGP:357 - 92 points.

You say 1983…

Caol Ila 31 yo 1983/2014 (58.7%, Silver Seal, cask #1553, 175 bottles)

Apparently, the terracotta army of Qin Shi Huang used to quaff Caol Ila – according to this label. Wait, Caol Ila, doesn’t that sound a bit Chinese? Anyway, I’ve visited this place – I mean, Xi’an – and it’s utterly fabulous. Highly recommended. No this isn’t Lonely Planet dot com. Colour: gold. Nose: high strength, short nose. That’s the case here, this is a little silent. Green cigars, seaweed, cardboard, old magazines … Quick… with water: not a ‘nosing’ Caol Ila, apparently. I’ve tried to make the best use of my pipette, to no success. I’m sure it’s my VIttel. Mouth (neat): oh sweet Vishnu, this is pure cough syrup. Vicks Vaporub and crème de menthe. This old baby is extremely big, and dangerous. With water: this should be streng verboten. I mean, severamente vietato. It’s starting to become approachable at around 20% vol. Cough, cough… Finish: long, kippery, extremely mentholated, sharply lemony. Comments: a monster, a monster! Very hard to score. I’m not sure it’s legal whisky anyway. SGP:378 – more or less around 88 points, depending on your mood.

Phew, this is one of the most challenging sessions I’ve ever done. Caol Ila’s usually seen as ‘a gentle peater’ but there are so many exceptions! In truth, we should stop this madness just now, but how could we resist the opportunity to try another pre-rebuilding Caol Ila?

Caol Ila 1967/1983 (92 US Proof, Duthie for Narsai’s Restaurant & Corti Brothers, imported by Pellegrini, South San Francisco, 75 cl)

Aaaawwww… Old Coal Ila is very rare. You had the official white and yellow labels, you had the golden jug, you had a few G&Ms, you had two or three black dumpies by Cadenhead… And that’s pretty all. But indeed, this is Cadenhead stock. Oh and some used to say that old Caol Ila was better than both old Laphroaig and old Ardbeg. Colour: straw. Nose: let’s be honest, it’s having a little trouble after the monstrous 1983s. This is one charming old lady talking after a gang of cheerleaders on acid. Old newspapers, artisan gherkins in brine, old wardrobe, 50 years old riesling, ‘visiting and old printing house’, old fur coat, old garage, old shoe polish… Indeed this noses ‘old’. No I haven’t written ‘tired’, it’s just a little shy. Certainly more on all things briny than the post-rebuilding CIs. Mouth: oh wait, no no no! This is vibrant, lively, sharp, and pretty much alive! It’s rather herbal, I’d say, with some absinth, genepy, other weirdish herbal liqueurs and spirits, a lot of aniseed, then oils and tart green fruits. Limes aplenty, then smoked salmon, smoked haddock and, yes, caviar. Caviar in a bottle! Smoked caviar, that is, also a little lard. Myrtle and juniper at the spice department. Finish: long, with smoked fish and herbal liqueurs. Amazing retro-olfaction on old Bénédictine. Comments: the nose was worth approx 86-87 in my book, while the palate’s more towards 95. But what’s more important, nose or palate? We may need some kind of capital key weightings… Oh forget! SGP:466 - 93 points.

PSSST, I’ve just checked that that was our 400th tasting note for a Caol Ila.

(with kisses and hugs to Diego and Max)

The Caol Ila Days, part two. The high flyers.

The Caol Ila Days, part two.
The high flyers.