
July 5, 2019

A Caol Ila spiel, part quatre

I promise this is the last part… And first, an aperitif (since it won’t be a new bottling)…

Caol Ila 33 yo 1980/2013 (58.1%, Hunter Laing, The Sovereign, bourbon hogshead, cask #HL 9976, 218 bottles)

Love the tartan label, let us start a petition to force all distillers to reintroduce the tartan labels, rather than use all those rotten hipster designs that’ll be so passé next year already! Colour: gold. Nose: it does not feel extremely old, rather very bonbony but that may be the high strength. Fruit gums and jellies, quince paste, banana chutney, then rather pinesap, camphor, balms, and then bandages, hessian, forest mud, humus… With water: the bandages won it. The usual marzipan too. Mouth (neat): burst with fruits and the jams and bonbons made thereof. Cassis, pineapple, lemon, mangos, papayas… With water: more sea water, clams, brine, perhaps even gherkins, sucking fabric (when we were young)… Finish: medium, more mentholy. Some green pepper, salt, green smoke… Comments: very lovely old CI, but this baby changes a lot depending on the amount of water you add, and besides, I’m not sure it swims extremely well.
SGP:566 - 87 points.

Caol Ila 35 yo 1983/2018 (52.7%, Signatory Vintage, 30th Anniversary, hogshead, cask #5290, 213 bottles)

Caol Ila 35 yo 1983/2018 (52.7%, Signatory Vintage, 30th Anniversary, hogshead, cask #5290, 213 bottles)
What a series! I’m not sure we’re still having many yet-untasted ‘30ths’ in WF’s sample library, sadly, but what we could try this far has been constantly impressive. Not to mention the historical ones (Glencraig, Ayrshire and stuff) that have made many true enthusiasts drool. Right, perhaps not the twitterati and the ones that are constantly high on (hash)tags. Colour: gold. Nose: yeah there, hand cream, marzipan, paraffin, plasticine, church candles, limoncello, anchovy cream, strawberry yoghurt, old jacket, oysters, soot, and cold old pipe. Nice combination, no? With water: same-ish. Mouth (neat): pristinely impeccable. This one’s been carved by Michelangelo himself! Bits of oysters, lemon, olives, plasticine, sardines, samphire, grapefruit, marzipan, a drop of engine oil, a touch of rubber, some ink…. With water: none needed. Finish: not the longest ever but it is flawless, still pristine, of grand-cru quality. Just the aftertaste is a little peppery and fizzy, which is a little bizarre, but there. Schweppes. Comments: it really is the purity that is impressive here. No excessive cookery in sight, no lab work by mad whisky scientists, not quick aromatizing, just whisky, time, and a good hoggie. That’s unbeatable.
SGP:456 - 91 points.

Speaking of old hogsheads…

Caol Ila 34 yo 1984/2018 (57.6%, Cadenhead, Single Cask, bourbon hogshead, 162 bottles)

Indeed a strong contender, let’s see… Colour: gold. Nose: very similar style, this one’s just a tad rounder, and probably a little more mentholy (vs. paraffiny). There are also a little more topical notes (mangos and maracujas), and less fabrics and stuff. So a little less ‘deep’, and a little more ‘playful’. With water: melted wax, green almonds, a bowl of fresh Oostende shrimps, and a little cellar dust. Mouth (neat): harsh and bitter in the greatest way, biting, totally very green, and full of fresh putty and paint. A challenging old Caol Ila that could as well have been 10 years old – quite. In case you haven’t noticed, I love it. With water: this sweet saltiness that’s so very old Caol Ila. Some kippers, some fresh marzipan. Finish: medium, almondy, coastal, slightly putty-like, with a grassy aftertaste. Ideas of mercurochrome and crushed anchovies in the aftertaste. Comments: a big boy. Once again, careful with water, one drop too many could wreck it.
SGP:366 - 91 points.

LAST MINUTE BONUS

Caol Ila 11 yo 2008/2019 (59.8%, Juste Un Doigt, hogshead, cask #301637)

A new wee French bottler! Juste Un Doigt means Just One Drop, but cough, cough… the name might also be referring to a scene from a cult French movie, ‘La Cité de la Peur’, in which a character asks a woman “Would you like a whisky?” and the girl answers “Just one finger – meaning just one drop in French” whilst the guy would then reply, “Wouldn’t you like a whisky first?” I know, I know, too much Frenchness at once, perhaps, but if you really must, the whole scene is there. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: ah fine, right between some fresh pear and lime juice, some fresh artisanal cachaça, and a fresh green coastal smokiness that’s very Caol Ila. Keyword: freshness. You may throw in a few cherries, fresh mushrooms, plus the obligatory oysters and the fumes from my neighbour’s old lawnmower. Still young yet not too young. With water: damp fabric, beach sand, kelp, used charcoal and small whelks (any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental). Classic. Mouth (neat): very bright, tense, mineral, ultra-vertical as they now say in wine. Crushed chalk and ashes in mercurochrome. With water: extremely typical, rather creamy, with touches of preserved apricots on top of the expected salty/charcoaly development. Finish: long, with more brine, lime, a feeling of linoleum, and those oysters again. Very salty aftertaste, almost tarry ala Port Ellen. Comments: can you beat a great distillate in some good old natural hogshead? Also, it was rather peatier than other CIs, or so it seemed. More than just a drop of this, please!
SGP:467 - 88 points.

(Gracias Lucero and Philippe)

Check the index of all Caol Ila we've tasted so far