Jan-Case
Caol Ila Moch
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
December 14, 2020 (edited October 13, 2021)
(Vita Dulcis Advent Calendar 14/24)
Nose: very sweet fruity syrupy nose that reminds me of a Glenrothes single cask from Claxton’s from my shelve, very familiar and likable for that reason because I love that Glenrothes, sweet marzipan, sweet cranberry-grape-juice, some good bid of smoke as well in the back (not so much BBQ-peaty but more from the char), there also is plenty of silky vanilla cream, soft butter cookies, French madeleines - the nose gets even better after the initial taste
Palate: really nice palate, very unique unlike anything I had before, now there is an interesting peat for sure, also very sweet fruity still, again buttery sweet vanilla and creamy fruit sauce, later delicious coffee with cream
Finish: again really peaty and smoothly sweet
Verdict: I like it actually quite a lot, after revealing that this is Caol Ila I was surprised again. I know and like Caol Ila but I have never had one like this before, usually Caol Ila has noticeable citrus and vanilla notes - here I only got the vanilla but different to how I know it in combination with that syrupy sweetness.
(Don’t add water - it makes it more rough and dry)
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@Slainte-Mhath yeah I really like the 12y as well. That was one of the first whisky bottles I finished a few years ago. I also have a 15y cask strength from Gordon & Macphail which is amazing too. But this one was somehow really different to what I knew. I still plan on getting a bottle along the 18y and some samples in my next bulk purchase - should be interesting to compare all of them.
@Jan-Case Nice review, this is the only Caol Ila I have been avoiding. Pay a few more bucks and get the 12, not sure what the purpose of this NAS bottling is.
@Jan-Case Sounds great. I wish this were readily available in the US. I just polished off the last of my Caol Ila 12 tonight. It was the first bottle I opened when I began my tasting journey early this year, so it’s a bit nostalgic for me. Hoping to see this hit the shelves around here in the future.
Glad you finally got a good one out of that calendar!
(I just found out that this bottle is super cheap. What a nice surprise again that a whiskys’ enjoyment isn’t always bound to its price or age.)