CAOL ILA 12 YEAR OLD
Fresh, sweetly fruity and smooth-bodied, Caol Ila 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky is the colour of pale straw, with a delicate balance of tastes. The clean, appetising nose shows subtle citrus fruit with just a puff of smoke. Firm and smooth, it begins sweetly then yields a fragrant smokiness and a sweet-smoky, lingering finish.
STRENGTH
43% ABV
APPEARANCE
Pale straw.
NOSE
Subdued, citric fruitiness; a whiff of bath oil and dentist's mouthwash. A fresh and appetising nose, with little or no trace of smoke. A little water raises almond oil and old-fashioned oilskins; still a fresh fruitiness (lychees?), a trace of olive oil, and after a while pot pourri or scented hand-soap.
BODY
Firm, smooth, light to medium.
PALATE
Drinks well at natural strength; sweet start; pleasant, light fragrant smokiness and a lengthy finish. Smooth, pleasant mouth-feel; with water light acidity, some salt and still the sweeter notes. A complex balance of primary tastes.
FINISH
Sweet smokiness in the lingering, slightly sour finish.
CAOL ILA 18 YEAR OLD
Age introduces a golden colour and complexity to this mellow, amber Caol Ila. It starts smoky-sweet on the nose then drinks smoothly, showing a sweet yet sour character. The long-lived finish evokes a distant, smouldering beach bonfire.
STRENGTH
43% ABV
APPEARANCE
Golden
NOSE
Smoky bonfires, then soapy water and wet wool, with a smouldering beach bonfire in the distance. Hints of mineral oil, then wax. Develops scents of burnt pork sausages.
BODY
Firm, smooth, light to medium.
PALATE
Smooth and mildly sweet start with good acidity and sea salt.
FINISH
A lingering, charred, slightly sour finish.
CAOL ILA CASK STRENGTH
A medicinal smoky nose introduces the strongest character, bottled at cask strength and “clean as an operating theatre”. Smooth and light to start, it becomes strong, clean and assertive in flavour. Firm and smooth on the palate with sweetness again turning to a sea saltiness. A pleasant, sustained, lightly charred finish.
It's usual with cask strength malts to add water, but don't add too much. This bottling is surprisingly mellow for the strength.
STRENGTH
Dependent on bottling
APPEARANCE
Amber
NOSE
Carbolic, with a beach-bonfire smokiness behind. Then medicinal, lightly floral. Clean as an operating theatre! With water, the medicine softens, making way for damp wool and steam engines.
BODY
Firm, smooth, medium
PALATE
Very sweet start; clean, aggressive, smoky, warming. Reduced, smooth and mildly sweet; light acidity and salty. Mild, compared to the flavour at natural strength. Needs little water.
FINISH
Pleasant, lightly charred. Lingering.
CAOL ILA DISTILLERS EDITION
Each Distillers Edition expression undergoes a second (or ‘double’) maturation in casks that have previously held a fortified wine.
This extraordinarily stylish and complex expression of Caol Ila has been double-matured in carefully selected Moscatel casks. The wood is not over-evident and instead balances perfectly with this richly flavoured single malt.
STRENGTH
43% ABV
APPEARANCE
Clear gold
NOSE
Wonderfully concentrated pure, clean Caol Ila – peaty and medicinal, with rich fruit, spicy and fragrant. With water, the fragrant smokiness comes singing through.
BODY
Medium.
PALATE
Sweetness and maltiness strike first, then are quickly overwhelmed by peat smoke and intense, clean, crisp flavours. Caol Ila’s signature smoky bonfires are here, and build to quite a size. Overall, drying, in a beautifully balanced, complex, elegant development, complemented with cinnamon spice.
FINISH
Long, rounded, robust and multi-layered.
