islay_emissary
Caol Ila 18 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 27, 2018 (edited October 21, 2024)
Hovering above the glass, a delicate peat smoke really lets the essence of Islay shine through. A soft ocean breeze is mixed with farmland scents of fresh cut hay and nearby livestock. Descending further, the malt predominates accompanied by honeyed vanilla and a swirl of fruitiness. Very pleased to this point, a spin of the glass and its light gold spirit reveals viscous, hard forming legs. Wow, the ferry is pulling into Port Askaig, and I can’t wait to disembark into the arms of the Caol Ila distillery only furlongs away. The first taste of sweet vanilla, however, is suddenly interrupted by a loud crash into a nearby reef. The welcoming shore beckons, yet here we are manning the lifeboats for what will be a harsh and bitter finish to an otherwise pleasant journey now peppered in disappointment. Already watered to 43% ABV, I didn’t bother to know what more would bring. Dismayed, I pulled out Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible only to see a meager rating of 80 for the 18yo; whereas, he rated the 30yo at 96.5. I remember liking a bottle of Caol Ila 12yo many moons ago, so I’m glad this was only a sample from the Whisky Exchange. An excellent nose marks this one at 3.25 stars.
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@PBMichiganWolverine. Yup definately agree, much rather take recommendations from folks who I know and trust here than JM - his tasting is just often not on the same wavelength as mine and often imho dubious as @Slainte-Mhath pointed out. I find Josh Peters from thewhiskeyjug.com to be aligned very well to my tastes.
@PBMichiganWolverine - you should follow me for my flowery prose, and not my nose. :)
Okay—-stupid question...why does it matter what an individual reviewer thinks? Wouldn’t that assume he/she has the same tastes as us? Probably a stupid question....but I generally go just by a few folks here
@Slainte-Mhath JM's reviews can certainly be quirky - even unhelpful at times - but I still often find myself nodding in agreement with him. However SV is a more reputable critic, and frequently more amusing.
@cascode Probably not ongoing, but his very favorable Ardbeg scores always made me suspicious. If I want a second opinion, I rather check Serge's excellent reviews at Whiskyfun.
@Slainte-Mhath I know that JM has worked as a consultant with many distilleries over the years, but does he actually have an ongoing financial arrangement with Ardbeg?
@Soba45 @Slainte-Mhath, yes, I agree that reviews based on a sample should be taken with a grain of salt. Of course, the distillery is always welcome to send over a few more. :)
I enjoyed this official bottling as well. Probably not a 5-star malt, but still very, very good. I find it always a bit risky to assess the quality of a malt from a sample. How long has the bottle been standing open? No one really knows. To be honest, I have never paid any attention to Jim Murray's ratings. Ballantines Finest in the high 90's? Commercial affiliations with Ardbeg? I think he is not independent and a bit too excentric to be taken serious. Just my 2 cents :)
I'm not a huge CI fan but I must say I really enjoyed this one. My favourite out of the IB 8, IB 17, Distillery 12, Distillers, 18 and 25
@cascode - Murray rates the 12yo at 89. That’s an excellent dram as I remember it. @PBMichiganWolverine - I think I was so blown away by the CB Circus that everything else might seem 2nd fiddle for awhile. BTW, PassionVine in NJ has a CB Circus available for $324. One of the last remaining at the best price. It’s not advertised on their website.
@Rick_M I had high hopes for this, especially after trying last year’s Diageo special release, which I thought was really good.
Nice review. I've not had this 18 year myself, but I've been very pleased with contemporary bottlings of the 12 year which has become my go-to Islay at the moment.
@LeeEvolved - I’ve been sitting on that sample for a while now. That could be a factor.
Wow, that’s disappointing. I recently bought a bottle of both the peated and unpeated 18 year old. I was expecting to be let down by the latter. Darn. Great review, though. Cheers, sir.