Indie Caol Ila

Just as Man U is currently stringing together a good sequence of wins, I'm going to do a sequence of peaty whiskies from everyone's favourite Scotch region. A couple of the whiskies in this sequence are very kindly shared by friends - thanks PY and NF (in advance)! As promised in the previous, this one is a strong Caol Ila.

PY bought this indie Caol Ila some time back at LMDW, and we had a quick sip. His initial review was that this Caol Ila is the real thing, making a Kilchoman single sherry cask feel 'feignty'. Big bold claim. He kindly gave me a small sample to try at leisure, and I'm finally giving this a shot.

Caol Ila G&M 'Cask Strengh', 2004/2015 (60.1% abv)

Nose - Sharp attack, like Lukaku - big alcohol tendrils unfurling in your nose. Wasabi-like. A hint of kerosene and flint - explosive, like Rashford's pace. Behind that, smoke and lemons, then salt. Pears, pear rind, a little vanilla, and some rich notes from the cask, I believe - oak, a touch of coconut, peach. Peat turns ashy from the rather grassier initial profile. Complex and intricate, like Mkhitaryan. Ok, enough Man United references...

Palate - Lemonade! Vanilla and honey. Nectar. Toffee. Lots of sweet stuff going on here! Help! I think I'm losing the war on diabetes! Oh, great, there's the chalk and salt to the rescue! Some bitter notes, like tea. Pear drops, stewed fruit. Smoke and ashes. A big beach bonfire. Grapefruit and ginger, then a bunch of pepper sprinkled with clove and...parsley? Tea tannin...overbrewed Chinese tea.

Finish - Charcoal smoke, like sitting beside the campfire after the flames die down. Lots of pepper, some chalk, a hint of nut oils, lingering ginger. A little bitter for my liking though.

Overall - wow. That was intense. I wouldn't say that this makes the Kilchoman feel feinty, for I think the Kilchoman's a little more polished than this Caol Ila. Nonetheless, this IS very big and intense, like Matic's pres...ok, never mind. How does G&M get their hands on so many barrels of such good stock?

Great start to the Islay sequence! Up next is...NF's PC!

Caol Ila for newbies

This bottle is from LMDW's The Ten series. The series is meant to be an introduction to the various prominent styles of whiskies from Scotland, and thus are labelled things like 'Heavy Smoke', 'Intermediate Sherry' (oh wait, was that for Amrut?), 'Light sherry', etc. This one is 'Medium Islay Peat'. The whisky is from Caol Ila, distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2015, making it 7 years. I think it's a marketing strategy for the seventh whisky in the Ten to also be seven years. So, one number, two interpretations, both valid. Yay. A hermeneuticist's best friend.

Caol Ila 'The Ten' for LMDW (abv 40.10%)

Colour - Pale. Very pale. Paler than the picture suggests. The pee of a normal person who's maybe a little dehydrated.

Nose - Light Islay peat, contrary to what the label claims. This is lighter than usual Caol Ilas. Smokey without venturing into the heavily charred territory of Ardbeg. Not even the pure charcoal smoke of Caol Ila. This is more like lightly charred wood. The light smoke helps one to notice the other aspects of Caol Ila - citrusy. Suggestions of apricots. A little savoury, with a generous dash of salt.

Palate - Mm. Alcohol heat, probably due to age. But fairly fruity. Pears and apples, with a hint of grapefruit. Orange pith. Ooh. Surprising sweet touch...tastes a bit like triple-sec. Pepper. Salty too.

Finish - A little minty and maybe one eucalyptus leaf. Peppery, a whiff of smoke that wasn't prominent on the palate comes back up the chimney.

Overall - As an introductory malt, this is actually pretty tasty, and showcases the goodness of a simple, naked Caol Ila. Not complex enough to wow, but good to use as part of an educational tasting set. Though I would probably tell tasters that this is not 'Medium', but light. And, perhaps the peat isn't as obvious here, though perhaps a comparison with, say, a light Laphroaig might help the newcomer to recognize peat. I'm also wondering if the ".10%" abv is part of the branding. Probably, right?

Next post will be a heavy Caol Ila.