This is normally the bit where we talk about how this relates to the regular version and what the distillery specific breed brings to the table. (But we’ve not actually done that yet – our bad). In fact, the only thing we’ve done that’s dealt with Caol Ila on this site is its inclusion into Johnnie Walker Green (which is defunct). But that’s okay.
Caol Ila is a self described color secret of the Islay region, and while yes we’ve tried it before a handful of times (we don’t actually review everything we drink often waiting for a controlled environment) it’s not made it to the site yet, but this edition was bought duty-free so here we are.
What they Say: “Box Front: THE DISTILLERS EDITION of this golden Caol Ila is brilliant, clean and refined and has a deep, sweet and smoky flavor profile that suggests the intense, saturated colors of late afternoon sunshine after a storm has passed.
Box Back: Each expression of Caol Ila (pronounced ‘Cull Ee-la’) reflects a special quality of the light at this remote Islay distillery. Together they picture a day in its secret cove on the Sound of Islay. Brilliant, clean and finely balanced, this special Caol Ila Distillers Edition has all the clarity of sunshine flooding the landscape with colour after a storm. Richer, more intense and many layered than regular expressions, it yet remains true to the Caol Ila character, first seen in 1846. Here are those pure sea-air aromas and sweet smoky-dry flavors, expressed with a complex, rich spiciness that surprises and delights. Each bottle carries a release number, which designates the selected casks especially chosen for double maturation.”
Taste: 5.5 – A bit of sweetness and sort of subdued smoky flavor make this nice, but it’s no match for the aftertaste.
Aftertaste: 9.0 – There is a sort of ‘relaxed?’ smokiness that is the main undercurrent here, and fuck is it good. It then evolves much later on changing into a monster of smoke and happiness.
Burn/Smooth: 8.5 – As smooth as glass, and as warm as the fire that made it. This is so smooth we thought we could pull that first sentence off like some sort of poet.
Aroma: 9.5 – It’s been a long time since something has scored that well, but it’s well deserved here. The complexity this brings in terms of a fire and meat smokiness, salty sea like flavors, and more is near perfection. It does all of that and gets the ‘drink me’ vibes flowing. Spine-tingling stuff.
Honesty: 6.0 – The sunshine/storm is a bit gimmicky, but then we ourselves found it hard to not wax poetical here. That dark bottle and it’s contents are truly worthy of a distillers edition, and we should make sure to get the regular up here just to show you how much. Overall though it does well here, by the smoke alone.
Mixability: 4.0
W/ Rocks: 4.0 – It dials up the smokiness, but no. This is something you get neat – fact.
Value: 6.0 – (we adjusted this based on looking at actual selling prices, it may say 64 but that’s too low). Still though near 80 dollars for a distillers edition isn’t that crazy. Also, this is the kind of scotch that you want. This is why we buy single malts because we can be gifted with something like this.
Google Shop Average: $76
Website: https://www.diageo.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 8.0
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Metric Score: 48.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.93 |+| Reviewer Average: 8.0
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Final Thoughts: It truly pains us that our objective scoring breakdown means we can’t throw more points at this, because it’s quickly become a darling of the lounge. Putting this neat into a snifter and enjoying the long warm and smoke it gives is one of the life’s great pleasures. It may not look like sunshine after a storm, but it embodies that feeling.
