Caol Ila 1997 Managers' Choice Sherry Cask

Caol ila 18 Year Old

The Caol Ila distillery is located on Islay, near Port Askaig, overlooking the strait between Islay and Jura, and was founded in 1846. Its name derives from the Gaelic for ‘Sound of Islay’. The distillery is part of Diageo, and in addition to being sold as a single malt is used heavily in blends such as Johnnie Walker and Black Bottle. The nose is...

Score 84/100

Caol Ila 12 Year Old

So, my first whisky review ever, here goes. Nose: A warm tingle. Sweetly-bitter. Very citrus-like. Grapefruit juice, caramalised lime zest simmering in a pan, lemon jam. A hint of burned rubber and peat, but still quite fresh and crisp. Some subtle complexity. Body: Oily but light - like virgin olive oil. Leaves long tears on the glass. Taste:...

Score 85/100

Caol Ila 10 Year Old 1984 Wilson & Morgan

A golden auldie from Coal Ila, distilled when yours truly was only 14 and bottled before I was even seriously involved with whisky (was I ever?). Wilson & Morgan bottled it at 50% in their (then) popular Extra Strength series. The pale color suggest a refill bourbon cask. Suprisingly soft and sweet nose with hardly any peat, but all the more...

Score 87/100

Caol Ila 12 Year Old

I am interested in exploring peated whiskies and from reading reviews of several entry level Islays this seemed to be the best place to start. I would love to say the nose smells like peat but I honestly have no idea what peat smells like so I am going to describe it as smokey and earthy. I also get a hint of citrus on the nose. On the palate the...

Score 85/100