Scotch Review #114: Caol Ila 12 Year

Distillery: Caol Ila

Region: Islay

ABV: 43%

Age: 12 Year

Price: $7 for a pour at a bar

Color: 0.4, Jounquil/Ripe Corn.

Nose: There’s a small bit of medicinal, almost sweet peat that comes out first in this one. It’s followed by some lemons and pears.

Palate: Fairly thin mouthfeel. There is a little more of that medicinal, nearly sweet peat along with lemons, oranges, and a super sweet beef jerky.

Finish: Medium in length. More medicinal peat and a bit of mineral water rounds this one up..

Conclusion: When the wife sent me on a run last night to pick up some nachos and mac & cheese, I noticed this up at the bar and figured I’d try it out. It’s a well put together Islay, fairly easy to drink and not too aggressive on the peat and I do like that bit of sweetness that accompanies the peat throughout. Though it’s nice to drink, it’s nothing super exciting and it’s most definitely not worth the $70+ that a bottle of this goes for. For that money, I’d highly suggest you find a Bunnahabain 12 or a Port Charlotte 10 for $10-15 less. Would I buy a bottle? No.

Final Score: 77.

Scotch Whisky review #114, Islay Whisky Review #10, Whisky Network Review #148

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.