Tastes

Nose: Fresh, crisp and smoky-herbal. It has weight but is uplifting and is led by peat-reek, but it’s a very elegant type of smoke with nuances of lemon and oregano. It also has a distinct maritime quality with brine, wet sand and seaweed all being brought to mind. This expands into iodine but it’s fresh and windswept rather than medicinal. In the background there are hints of mint and cigar boxes. Palate: A full and commanding smoky arrival. Clean, fresh and direct rather than rounded but also creamy, even oily. In the development the smoke broadens to include citrus oil, salt licorice, honey-glazed ham, smoked fish and a light sweet fruity presence (stewed fruit?). The texture is full and rich and the smoke settles down to a tarry dryness as it moves into the finish. Finish: Long: Briny and tarry smoky with a touch of warm spice and resin, then fading out into a very well balanced demi-sec aftertaste. Assertively smoky but very well balanced. The smoky/tarry character provides an amber-toned canvas on which a calm and relaxing seascape is painted by the other aromas and flavours. My last bottle of Caol Ila was about 3 years ago and I was impressed then, as always, by this dependable 12 year old that is often overshadowed by the more hyped Islay smokies. This current bottle (a 2018 batch) is as good as ever – maybe even the best I’ve tasted. A most enjoyable and accomplished malt that is great value for the money. The distillery has been gaining attention recently but this excellent expression is an underappreciated gem. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars) -------------------------------------------------------------- Original Distiller review, April 30, 2017 Nose: An enormous hit of peat is the first thing I get - not smoke but the slightly sour, oily, earthy and vegetal aroma of fresh peat. This is then followed almost instantly by a light, fresh smokiness and a lot of supporting maritime notes - seaweed, seashells and wet sand. Also a hint of strong black tea in the background and some notes of hospital bandages (but not nearly as strong as in Laphroaig). Taste: A mouth-watering ocean of sweet peat smoke with a rich, oily mouthfeel. Very luscious and satisfying. Citrus notes and Dutch salt licorice, lemon oil, and that sweetness overlaying everything. A touch of glazed baked ham. Finish: Medium-long with a sweet resinous quality and smoke in the aftertaste. For a whisky that is basically a hymn to the god of peat, this manages to stay pretty balanced and not become a one-trick pony. A very nice whisky but I'd mention one caveat: Do not add water. It does not need it, and it spoils the experience. Even a drop or two seems to make the peat turn sour and waxy. As good as it is alone I have the distinct impression that Caol Ila has unique qualities that make it a perfect ingredient for blending. The marriage of Talisker and Caol Ila in Johnnie Walker blends, particularly the Black and Green Label, is legendary and it is also an important component of Compass Box Peat Monster. A most enjoyable, rounded and accomplished malt that is excellent value for money but seems to be often overlooked or dismissed as Lagavulin's "little sister". This is a shame because Caol Ila is right up there with the other much better known smokey Islay whiskies. I could easily adopt it as a dependable everyday dram. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars) --------------------------------------------------------------

Nose: A seamlessly intertwined bouquet of aromas including stewed fruits, malted barley, strong honey of several types (manuka, leatherwood, redgum), blood oranges, raisins, brine, cinnamon, allspice, leather, aromatic pipe tobacco, red apple, pear and toffee. Threading through all this is a sublime sherry-cask presence. Not just sherry and oak aromas sitting in the background, but a powerful active sherry cask personality. There's also the smell of brown sugar and butter being cooked together in preparation for making butterscotch muffins. Palate: A complex arrival that combines sweet, salt, fruity and honey flavours. A rich, creamy, development as massive malted caramel tones and some precise gingery spice emerge to play with butterscotch and stewed figs on a field of both sweet and dry sherry that is gently seasoned with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Finish: Medium/long. Spicy fruit and honey flavours gently fade into the sunset leaving an aftertaste of slightly drying salt and lingering warm spicy ginger. This is one of my all-time favourite whiskies. It is a fascinatingly rich and characterful dram, but simultaneously comforting and reassuring. It is magnificent right from the moment it is poured, but will continue to open and evolve for ages. Tasting this whisky is like a long, captivating conversation with one of your childhood heroes who, once you meet them, actually exceeds your expectations. The nose is textbook. There's no other word for it. This is the nose to emulate if you want to create a great unpeated whisky. The palate is huge and very rewarding with a majestic texture, and the finish is the perfect dignified finale to the proceedings. The whole experience makes you fall back in your chair with a contented groan of "oh, yes". This is a desert island dram and it is, quite simply, perfection and I was gutted when I heard last year that it was being withdrawn. I'd recommend tasting it neat, or with the addition of just 2 drops of water, but however you take it, don't rush the experience. This wonderful malt demands time and respect, and will repay the effort many times over. Diluting this with sparkling water, soft drinks or ice is forbidden. The universe will punish those who transgress. This re-review is based on the last drams of my last bottle. Tomorrow some mates are coming over to assist me in polishing off the remainder. Auld lang syne. "Outstanding" : 91/100 (5 stars)

Nose: Oranges simmered in honey water, then seasoned with a tiny bit of clove and some fragrant smoke - almost like a sprinkle of the ash from a burnt sandalwood incense cone. There's a maritime quality as well, but again it's light and fragrant rather than robust. Palate: A seamless continuation from the nose with a sweet citrus and honey arrival backed by a soft malted cereal character. In the development (which can take a while) gentle smoke starts to be noticed along with grassy notes, very subtle salt and a hint of sherry. There's a little bit of spice that flares up in the late development and the texture is silken. Finish: Medium/short. Malt and honey and a very faint lingering touch of smoke. For a younger expression this really benefits from a good 20 minutes of rest in the glass, which makes everything bloom most pleasantly. It's a subtle everyday dram with hidden complexity that you find yourself occasionally sniffing and thinking "this is really rather good". However, I don't think it should be over-rated either - it's good, but not fantastic. Also, if you don't get the smoke note try letting the dregs dry in the glass and then sniff it - the smoke is instantly apparent as the foundation aroma, and once you've "got it" you'll smell it in future. 10 years ago I would have given this 4 stars and it was a favourite go-to everyday dram, but not so much now. Bottles of this older type are getting hard to find now, but the "Viking Honour" 12 year old seems to be the same whisky. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Glassy (yes, glassy not grassy) cereal and sharp fruit notes. Grapefruit and beer. A vanilla hint and a raw ethanol aroma almost like grain whisky. Palate: It starts as if it will be lightly sweet but quickly gains a hard, sour and rough edge. Flavours of malt, orange peel and old bitter walnuts. As it develops a hot gingery note comes forward to dominate the palate. Finish: Medium. Fading out on tannin. I found little to enjoy in this whisky. It is supposedly the old Fine Oak 12 year in new packaging, but I've had that malt and this is not as good. It seems unbalanced, with little sherry influence. The main wood presence is an unappealing resinous character as of tired bourbon casks. There's also a raw spirit note reminiscent of blended scotch. It does open and improve slightly after some time in the glass, gaining a little vanilla on the palate, and over time as the level in the bottle drops it improves slightly through oxidization. I never became particularly fond of this whisky, however, and I was glad to see the end of it once it was finished. "Adequate (just barely)" : 70/100 (2 stars)

My handwritten tasting journal notes are unclear about this bottling - it was definitely a G&M 2005/2016 cask strength bottling, but there are at least two of those from different cask combinations. The abv I recorded also does not match either of them. Oops. Nose: A strong, fresh and invigorating iodine-heavy smokiness. Very maritime and dry. Grilled lemon, pineapple and grapefruit ; wet hessian bags, fresh thyme, bay leaf and linseed oil. Gammon steaks and herring sizzling in a steamboat's galley. As it rests in the glass the nose gradually softens, allowing more subtle orchard fruit notes to emerge from the shadows. There's a touch of mezcal-like vegetal and mineral aromas about the nose. Palate: A shimmering, intensely peaty arrival with lemon and cloudy green apple juices in the background. As it develops it expands, builds in heat and blooms to fill the mouth with billows of smoke and a hint of salt licorice. There's also a sweet briny tang like the juice from freshly shucked oysters, eaten straight from the rocks on a beach. The grilled fruits from the nose return, sprinkled with salt. Water softens the palate, adds a little more sweetness and makes the development more measured. Finish: Long, long, long ... ashy bonfire smoke and sweet oysters with a squeeze of lemon. A beautifully sour/bittersweet/salty aftertaste. I'd recommend tasting this neat first (it's angular and spiky, but not tight or burning) and then with the addition of just a few drops of water. Don't add too much or it will spoil the nose, which has some wonderfully intense aromas to enjoy. Dilution is mainly for the palate, which is rendered more subtle and approachable. This marvelous whisky would be perfect to sip while sitting rugged up in a warm coat on a porch overlooking the sea on a brisk spring day. It's a very maritime experience with not a single off note, and is one of the best peated whiskies I've tasted for some time. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Nose: Very malty, with a little lemon and orange zest, orchard fruit, and a dash of vanilla. There's a background aroma of fresh, sweet hay. Palate: Light but well-structured. Malty-sweet arrival with a little citrus and nuttiness emerging in the development, hazelnuts and almonds especially. Malty milk chocolate, biscuits and caramel. The texture is creamy and very agreeable. Finish: Medium. The palate flows seamlessly into the finish, with an aftertaste of weak black tea and malt biscuits. A capable whisky at a reasonable price. The price point might lead some to think it is unworthy of serious consideration, but that would be a mistake. Whilst it is no powerhouse of complexity or personality, neither is it bland. This whisky is subtle, friendly, relaxed and all about malt. From the first nosing through to the final flavours, the creamy texture, sweetness, nuttiness - everything about is says "spirit-driven maltiness". I think it's generally under-rated and perfectly suitable for enjoying neat when you're in the mood for an easy, mellow dram. I'd also recommend it, alongside Glenfiddich 12, as a perfect whisky for introducing newcomers to the world of single malts. "Average" : 76/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Ethanol, old tennis shoe, malt vinegar, privet, burnt brown sugar, tired oak cask. Palate: Initially it has that silky texture you get from all grain whisky but little actual flavour, just a bit of sweetness. However a moment later it flares with tannic spiciness and a bit of heat. This only lasts a few seconds and then quickly dies away. What flavour it has is pretty much generic maltiness and it's all rather thin. It's not harsh or unpleasant, just dull and a bit raw. Finish: Medium. Warming and slightly saccharine. Highland Earl is the ALDI supermarket chain's bottom-shelf blend. It's reminiscent of Grant's Family Reserve or Castle Rock. It bears a 3 year age statement and is obviously made to undercut all the other bottom-shelf blends. It's very grain heavy and the first pour from a new bottle is not particularly encouraging. If you persist you get used to it but it never becomes actually pleasant. It's not a great mixer either, as the raw dullness of the palate shows through even if you drown it with Coke. Pretty poor stuff. I'd strongly encourage anyone considering this to spend a little more and buy one of the better bottom shelf blends. The saving of a couple of bucks just isn't worth it. "Poor" : 63/100 (1.25 stars)