Caol Ila is a name even if you’ve never seen it on a shelf or bought yourself (unlikely but go with us here) it’s surely cropped on the list of essential sprits, a common marker in blended scotches, and one of the premiere Islay scotches – (one of the older ones too). We, however, have yet to review it – well until now.
In a word, this is a scotch that has a duality going on and the harmony can not be reached. When neat it’s a mix of interesting character and true Islay style, but mixed it loses too much. It’s certainly a whiskey that we are delighted to have in the lounge, but it’s failed to usurp the other big Islay’s from a future purchase.
What they Say: “Bottle Front: Out of sight, in a remote cove near Port Askaig lies Caol Ila, hidden gem among Islay’s distilleries since 1846. Not easy to find, Caol Ila’s secret malt is nonetheless highly prized among devotees of the Islay style.
Caol Ila lies close to Loch nam Bam, source of its pure mash water. The sea provides water for cooling and once brought steamers to collect a whisky appreciated for its balanced, fresh style – lighter bodied than many Islay malts, yet with all their typical peatiness.
Bottle Back: For more than a hundred and fifty years a distillery has stood here at remote CAOL ILA, home to Islay’s hidden malt. Never widely available and not as pungent as some of its neighbours, Caol Ila combines an unmistakable ISLAY CHARACTER with sublime drinkability.
Box Front: Fresh, sweetly fruity and smooth-bodied, Caol Ila 12 year old is as rounded and clear as the shapes of the still-room, glimpsed by hazy shafts of sunlight glancing through the morning cloud.
Box Back: Each expression of Caol Ila (say ‘Cull Ec-la’) reflects a special quality of the light at this remote Islay distillery, where sublime malt whiskies have been made for over a hundred and sixty years. Together they picture a day in its secret cove on the Sound of Islay. The smoothness and fine balance of Caol Ila 12 year old suggest the rounded shapes of the stills, softly outlined in a cloudy day’s first glimpse of the sun. Fresh and fruity, it is a classic expression of the Caol Ila character, first seen in 1846. Here are those spicy sea-air aromas and sweet smoky-dry flavours, elegantly expressed with a clarity and balance that come from perfect maturation.”
Taste: 6.0 – Fresh and fruity are not the exact words we’d choose here. At the start, you get something more Speyside like with other flavors winning the battle against peat. It’s certainly a bit complex and enjoyable to some.
Aftertaste: 6.5 – The backend is a sine wave of smoke going in and out and changing the tune as it goes along. While you get a lot more of a whiskey in the taste, you have more fun here.
Burn/Smooth: 7.5 – This is actually quite smooth especially given it’s Islay heritage. There’s a nice warming effect as well, and if we are being honest it might be the best part of this.
Aroma: 6.5 – This is actually not malarkey on being a lighter Islay than normal. The aroma here isn’t a wash of peat and hellfire, and you can even get a bit of that salty sea air smell. Overall though it’s a bit too light, forcing you to dig deep to smell it.
Honesty: 6.5 – It is common for a scotch to prattle on, and because there are some actual tidbits here that ring true we won’t knock them too hard. Combine that with a heritage of enjoying a secret cove for over hundreds of years and how essential Caol Ila is to various blends and they get out alright here.
Mixability: 5.0
W/ Rocks: 5.0 – So how does ice change the equation? In a word – worse and yet not. See with the ice you get more of that unique taste it sort of stretches out and becomes easier to appreciate the complexities going on. However, in order to do so, it shoots that nice smoky aftertaste in the heart leaving you with something that is a technical drink instead of one you love.
Value: 5.5 – That is on the fairly cheap side, and given it’s a smooth whiskey neat (albeit a bit of a jumble) that still makes it worth its value, and being sub-60 it’s fair to say it exceeds that – if only just.
Google Shop Average: $59
Website: https://www.malts.com/en-row/our-whisky-collection/caol-ila/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.0
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Metric Score: 43.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.21 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.0
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Final Thoughts: We try to be objective here as much as possible but the line above about how putting this on ice is a good technical complexity as far as scotch goes but without any of the heart may seem a tad too far poetical. Don’t get us wrong – Caol Ila is a titan of flavor, but it’s just not going to reach you like a Lagavulin or Auchentoshan would, and it’s unfortunate.
