TheWhiskeyJug
Caol Ila 13 Year Discovery (Gordon & Macphail)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 31, 2021 (edited November 28, 2022)
NOSE
Salted butter baguette, smoke, honey, vanilla taffy, honeydew, graham, spice, lemon peel. Soft “green” notes pop in and out adding to the interesting character of this whisky. It’s oddly soft for a Caol Ila, but comes across as elegant and refined instead of light.
PALATE
Salted butter baguette, smoke, honey, vanilla taffy, honeydew, graham, spice, lemon peel, caramel and a light chalkiness. Something different going on here, this G&M Discovery Caol Ila 13 Years kicks up more than you might imagine and pulls together rough Islay and refined pasty style notes and weaves them together.
FINISH
Long -> Smoke, honey, vanilla, herbal and spice that fades out to a dessert-style profile that just gives and gives. The finish is stunning.
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@Skymecca Interesting, I didn't think Kilchoman, but I 100% agree with the sentiment. This is a good, but a bit atypical, Caol Ila.
I’ve had this one. It’s really light and fresh with prominent tropical fruit, citrus and wood smoke. Tastes like a Kilchoman to me. The funny part is that this series is intended to provide a very typical example of islay, just as other releases in this series are examples of speyside and the like. But I think you could be fooled into thinking peated expressions are a lot less challenging than they really are if this is your introduction.