Slainte-Mhath
Caol Ila 2004 Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & Macphail)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
January 10, 2018 (edited March 5, 2024)
The beauty and challenge of independent bottlings is that you get distinct variations of your officially bottled, well-known single malt. On the nose, Gordon & MacPhail's 2004 Caol Ila is very briny, featuring seaweed, oysters and mineral peatiness. Honeydew melon, pickles and a touch of burned rubber lurk in the back. Sweet and sour, lightly peated and punchy aromatic flavors dominate the taste before the medium-length finish fades with over-brewed tea, salted cucumbers and white pepper. A rewarding, charismatic and notably salty experience!
RATING: 3.9/5.0 stars ≙ 86 pts → FIRST-CLASS [-]
53.0
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Nice review
Thanks! There's a bit of pot-luck when buying independents, but I've come to appreciate them more and more. As you say, a little variation from the norm, and occasionally you can pick up a really well matured expression quite cheaply. There's a whisky importer in Sydney that runs monthly tastings that usually feature 2 or 3 independent bottlings - a great way to try them out painlessly.
More details on the bottle can be found here: https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/86654/caol-ila-2004-gm
It was bottled in 2016, so it's about 12 years in age. I have to admit that I like the official bottling a little more (87 points), but it is nice to have some variation from the well-known Diageo product.
When was it bottled (ie how old?)