24 drams till Christmas 2016 #13: Caol Ila 2005 11 yo by Gordon & MacPhail

Caol Ila 2005 11 yo by Gordon & MacPhail

Caol Ila 2005 11 yo by Gordon & MacPhailDram data:
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Distilled: 21.01.2005
Bottled: 20.07.2016
Age: 11 years
Limitation: –
Casks: 4 First-Fill Sherry Butts
Alcohol: 57,3%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Young Caol Ila. You can’t go wrong with intense, young Caol Ila, right? Let’s have a taste of this one, from Gordon&MacPhail’s Cask Strength Collection.

Tasting notes:
Colour:
 light gold
The nose is very intense on the first nasal contact! Intense, phenolic peat smoke with alcohol, vanilla and white pepper/horseradish sharpness! Whoa! But I like it! Exactly why we love young, heavily peated whisky! Let’s wait a few minutes… Ah ha! Ginger, peaty apple compote and something spicy… used mulled wine spices? To be honest, I would’ve guessed ex-bourbon maturation, but the leaflet says first-fill ex-Sherry butts. On the other hand… it could’ve been dry sherry, there is a dryness… With water: same general profile, but less alcohol! Let’s see what the palate has to offer!  Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #13: Caol Ila 2005 11 yo by Gordon & MacPhail”

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Tasting: Gems of Scotland Caol Ila 7 yo 2008 – 2016 cask 311050

Tasting: Gems of Scotland Caol Ila 7 yo 2008 - 2016 cask 311050

Tasting: Gems of Scotland Caol Ila 7 yo 2008 - 2016 cask 311050Dram data:
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Morrison & Mackay
Distilled: 05.06.2008
Bottled: 15.01.2016
Age: 7 years
Limitation: 414 bottles
Casks: Hogshead 311050
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured

Tasting notes:
Colour:
new make with a slight copper sheen
The nose is dominated by slightly mellowed-down heavily peated new make. In a good way! A pinch of alcohol with dried orange peel and fresh ginger, raw fire, still warm peaty ash, brown sugar and a spent old vanilla pod rubbed on a slate platter. The cask managed to take away the roughness of the new make and add just a smidgen of flavours – at least third-fill wood in my opinion. Continue reading “Tasting: Gems of Scotland Caol Ila 7 yo 2008 – 2016 cask 311050”

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Tasting: Caol Ila 1995 20 yo by Cadenhead’s

Caol Ila 1995 20 yo by Cadenhead’s

Caol Ila 1995 20 yo by Cadenhead’sDram data:
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 10.2015
Age: 20 years
Limitation: 564 bottles
Casks: Butt
Alcohol: 57.7%
Unchillfiltered, uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour:
white wine
Seems like yesterday since I last tasted a refill-Butt 20-ish Caol Ila. I was very fond of the last one so there’s certainly no harm in trying another! The nose is… rather gentle and delicate, actually. Very little alcohol despite nearly 58% ABV with a light and delicate peat smoke – almost a Bowmore-ish flowery note (burning lavender and violets?). Slightly damp cotton candy, diluted honey, almost faded Italian orange blossoms, citrus juice with bits and peel, an oak board in a florist’s shop and highland honey so faint you’re wondering if the bees made it through the summer. Continue reading “Tasting: Caol Ila 1995 20 yo by Cadenhead’s”

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24 drams till Christmas tasting #15: Caol Ila 1993 21 yo by A.D. Rattray

Caol Ila 1993 21 yo by A.D. Rattray

Caol Ila 1993 21 yo by A.D. RattrayDram data:
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Dewar Rattray
Distilled: 19.07.1993
Bottled: 11.08.2014
Age: 21 years
Limitation: 311 bottles
Cask: Refill Butt 11144 (Part)
Alcohol: 56,8%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: white wine
The nose has an astonishing amount of peat smoke left for a 21-year-old dram! Peat smoked salted herring with tang, cigar ash, burning hard wood and latex gloves on much more mellow sweet notes of cake icing with a dash of lemon, honey and malt extract with vanilla pudding. Hm… the label says “sherry butt” – probably american wood and 3rd fill, so there’s no trace of sherry left.
Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #15: Caol Ila 1993 21 yo by A.D. Rattray”

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Tasting: Caol Ila 1984 30 years Rum Cask Finish by Riegger’s Selection

Caol Ila 1984 30 years Rum Cask Finish by Riegger's SelectionDram data:
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Riegger’s Selection
Distilled: 04.1984
Bottled: 23.10.2014
Age: 30
Limitation: 360 bottles
Cask: Rum Cask Finish
Alcohol: 56,2%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour:
straw
In the glass is a (hopefully) nice Caol Ila from the mid-80s, distilled at a time, when many distilleries sadly closed down forever during the last big downturn of the Scotch industry. Let’s get started! The nose is surprisingly fresh from the get-go! I haven’t looked up the details but I guess this was at least a 2nd fill cask. Alcohol, salt spray, a slight hint of menthol, citrus peel and -juice, industrial cleaner (hey, what?) all mixed together with earthy, dirty peat smoke and a whiff of cough lozenges. Continue reading “Tasting: Caol Ila 1984 30 years Rum Cask Finish by Riegger’s Selection”

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Tasting: Caol Ila 1996/2012 cask 14611 by Ian MacLeod’s Chieftain’s Choice

caolIla_1996_IMDram data:

Distillery: Cao Ila
Bottler: Ian MacLeod / Chieftain’s Choice
Distilled: 10.1996
Bottled: 03.2012
Age: 15 years
Limitation: 308
Price at the time of purchasing: – (sample)
Cask: Hogshead 14611
Alcohol: 50%
Possibly Unchillfiltered / Natural Colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour:
ripe barley. On the nose I get a huge initial hit of alcohol followed by fiery, spicy smoke, pepper, citrus oil and limes. Continue reading “Tasting: Caol Ila 1996/2012 cask 14611 by Ian MacLeod’s Chieftain’s Choice”

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Tasting: Caol Ila 18

Dram data:

Distillery: Cao Ila
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2011
Age: 18 years
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: – (sample)
Casks: –
Alcohol: 43%
Possibly Chillfiltered / Colouring added
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
On the nose I get a big hit of lovely peaty smokiness initially covering most other flavours. Some vanilla peeks through, white pepper, green apples, orange rind, orange juice, a very subtle honey sweetness in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Caol Ila 18”

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Tasting: BigPeat Tweet tasting

IMG_20140515_170614I was selected as one of the lucky tweet tasters for the Douglas Laing @DLaingWhisky #BigPeat tweet tasting hosted by @TheWhiskyWire on the eve of the 21st of May 2014. Big thanks to DouglasLaing, Steve Rush and all the fellow tweet tasters for the great evening! Worthy of a repetition in my book!
In preparation for the tasting we all received a lovely little package from Scotland (see picture on the right). It contained five mystery samples (which were tasted blind) and a few assorted goodies like a bottle of rainwater, peat cones (to fill the air with lovely peat flavour), an Islay pebble to chill our dram on hot summer days and a mystery key to Big Peat’s house (still waiting on this mystery to be solved…) – all in all a very lovely package – very well thought out!

Without further ado, here’s my tasting notes for the five drams: Continue reading “Tasting: BigPeat Tweet tasting”

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