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Showing posts from July, 2019

[Review] Caol Ila - 18 years old 43%

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Back into full bottle reviews after a couple of samples, and what a bottle! Caol Ila 12 is the bottle which properly started me on my whisky journey and still one of my favourite today. But I have already reviewed Caol Ila 12 before so it is about time I upgrade and move on to Caol Ila 18! I have always thought Caol Ila was the most underrated distillery on Islay, but I think things are changing and even if the distillery is the biggest producer on the island, demand (and prices) for older bottles of Caol Ila is soaring. In my opinion, the single malt produced at Caol Ila is not as pungent as the one produced by the 3 peat power houses (Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin). It is more nuanced being what I love to call a 'salty peat' Islay malt. So what about the 18? Like with the 12, I guess the 18 is aged in ex-American oak. Unfortunately it is chillfiltered, coloured and bottled at 43%, so is the experience still here? Nose: Sweet and smoky, some tropical fruit a