Caol Ila 13 Year Old 1996 Chieftain's Choice Ian MacLeod

Caol Ila 25 Year Old 1983 Carn Mor Vintage Collection

This little bottle has been gathering dust in my cabinet for quite a while. I bought it at the end of April 2010 after a Carn Mor Vintage tasting. Maybe it got overlooked because of its size? Anyway, this stuff is 25 years old, right? So let us open it up. You only live once. This is an almost tropical Caol Ila! Wonderful touches of mango,...

Score 87/100

Caol Ila 1978 / 23 Year Old / Rare Malts

The Rare Malts Selection saw the light of day in 1995 by the Scottish Malt Distillers, the precursor to Diageo. Initially it comprised releases from the ’70s, ‘80s and ‘90s distillates from mostly closed distilleries and they were 18 years of age at least. The series lasted 10 years and was then replaced by Diageo’s yearly Special Releases. Thanks...

Score 90/100

Caol Ila 18 Year Old / Special Releases 2017

This review is from a “mystery sample” a friend gave me. I don’t know when he opened the bottle or when he bottled the sample. * Nose (undiluted): lemon, honey, brine, floral, a hint of peat?, something funky (vegetal) I can’t quite identify (dry leaves maybe?), apple skins * Palate (undiluted): hot, spiky arrival, honey, a bit of a mineral note,...

Score 91/100

Caol Ila SMWS 53.173 Glowing embers on the tongue

My wife and I recently attended a Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting where we'd tried a Glenmorangie New Make Spirit, a Glenmorangie which tricked me (dirty yummy Glenmorangie!) our first Glen Moray and now we were moving into Islay territory. When we nose the whisky it's immediately smokey, big and beautiful and it brings a smile to my face....

Score 90/100