Caol Ila 25 Year Old 1984 Cask #5387 Bladnoch

Caol Ila Gordon & Macphail Private Collection 2001 Hermitage Finish

Bottled 2015, one of G&M’s private editions where they decided to try finishing Caol Ila in a Hermitage Cask. Having never tried hermitage wine, I thought it would be a fun adventure. Batch size of 3600 bottles. Nose: Sweet and fruity (think strawberry jam fruity) smoke. Islay brine. It’s a relatively heavy nose but yet it seems to have...

Score 89/100

Caol Ila 30 Year Old 1981 Thosop Handwritten Label by TWM

Under the motto ‘one more for the road’, we’ll conclude our Peaty Party with an old Caol Ila. Not just any old Caol Ila, no, this is a 30 Year Old, bottled by Thosop, the Belgian indie led by Dominiek Bouckaert – aka The Whiskyman. I’ve tasted some nice old Caol Ila before (like the 25 Year Old from First Cask or the 27 Year Old for QV.ID, to name...

Score 91/100

Caol Ila 12 Year Old

Nose: a delicate perfume of vanilla and lemon essence at first, followed by brine and smoke notes. Impressive balance and lightness. Taste: medium-bodied, with the initial sweetness soon met by a wave of salty smokiness. The salty maritime character takes some getting used to. Then the peat coats the back of the tongue. Finish: Peaty,...

Score 89/100

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