whisky review 169 - Caol Ila cask strength (61.6%)

[oman913]

If I could just find this whisky, I'd be a happy man ;o(

[Hamporkcheese]

61.6... holly god!!!

[RathStarblade]

It may just be me but I swear I can see Ralfy's breath... how cold is it in there?

[AbacoBahamaMan]

Isle of Sky...Doh!

Anyway @Glanur2. The lagavulin 16 is a fantastic recommendation from Ralfy, but I would like to add that I've been rather let down by the last few bottles from them over this last year. It's still very very good, but its lacking the musty salt air quality that I loved for the last 3 years. Please try it for yourself as it's still near the very top of my list. Personally, It's missing the smell of the musty/wet raincoat locker I grew up with, but it's still a fantastic malt.

[Glanur2]

I have once tried a Caol Ila 18 yo which was actually the best thing I have ever tasted due to its intense smoky character...do you know another single malt which shares this awesome qualities? I really adore this deep, smoky, aromatic properties of Caol Ila in general.

[ralfystuff]

@Glanur2

Lagavullin 16yo

[Glanur2]

@ralfystuff thanks!

[saitake12]

Hi ralfy, can you tell me the difference between malt marks and blend marks, is blend just more lenient? thanks in advance

[ralfystuff]

@saitake12

as malts and blends are essentially different spirits, they need clear separation for marks so as not to confuse between the two.

[entelekhia]

After watching this review, I bought a bottle of Caol Ila natural cask strength 61.6% and absolutely LOVED it. It is now my favorite whisky. Ralfy, could you recommend another single malt for a person who likes this sort of whisky?

[ralfystuff]

@entelekhia

Aberlour A'bunadh is well worth a try.

[henrybenryy]

Hi Ralfy, brilliant review, as usual.

Just a quick question, you mention independent bottlers in this review, can you recommend any that bottle Caol Ila and perhaps Laphroaig?

Keep up the good work!!

[777bigmick]

love this scotch best ive had

[55billmarshall]

Nice review Ralfy, IMHO you got the various flavours spot on and the cask strength Caol Ila truly is one of the great whiskies. My only gripe is the you only gave it 90/100 but I haven't seen your other reviews yet to get an idea of what your standards are. I'll be doing that now. Good to see a different, and idiosyncratic, style of review.

[LeoLikesVideos]

Hi Ralfy, great review as always.

I just poured myself a glass of the Caol Ila Cask Strength yesterday and I observed one thing you maybe have already talked about: I seem to have lost my ability to smell smoky notes to a huge degree (after 6 months in the whisky game). The same applies to Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16, Laphroig 10 Cask Strength, Ardbeg Uigeadail, etc.

Have you noticed this yourself?

[ralfystuff]

@LeoLikesVideos

yes, ... familiarity breeds disinterest with some flavour compounds, personally I struggled to notice smoke and salt for a year, then it all came back !  ... even better than before.

[LeoLikesVideos]

@ralfystuff

Thanks for the quick answer! I'm glad that I'm not the only one to suffer from this. Let's hope it's over soon...

[neilprague]

Hi Ralfy, just opened a bottle of this ( 58.6 % ) bought last year. great whiskey ! If you like this , try the Benriach '' Arumaticus Fumosus ''12 year peated rum finish !

[degmar]

My store just oredered a couple of bottles for me. Unfortunately, when they came in they were the UNpeated version. Do you know if these are any good?

[ralfystuff]

@degmar

... funilly-enough, I will be reviewing an unpeated Caol Ila later this year ! .... they can be goood !

[vigil12348]

"It's not all about the peat" - with Caol Ila it surely isn't. Peat snap, disappears, then smoked honey note, very subtle sweetness of dried fruit and the peat returns last, reminding of it's omnipresence, like carrying away the finish, away from the "sepia" black and white sweetness of the body into a more intense experience at the end. What a great whisky! I wouldn't know of it's existence within my vodka - infested country if it wasn't for your reviews.

[shuboy05]

Ralfy, I think you might have had enough if you're confusing Caol Ila for Talisker.

[Dulahey]

You need to review the plain jane Caol Ila 12 year old.

[ralfystuff]

@Dulahey

check out WhiskyReview 94 in the archives ! ... it's all there !

[Dulahey]

@ralfystuff

Doh! Thanks Ralfy. I just found your site a couple days ago and have been plowing through your videos starting at the beginning. However, I searched for a few specifics and when I searched "Caol Ila" all I found was this one review. Search engine fail =\

[glenmayepete]

I live on the Isle of Man, can't help but notice the '3 legs of man' hanging on the wall behind you, have you been here?

[ralfystuff]

@glenmayepete

I live on the I.O.M.  ... and love it !

[cattnipp]

hahaha - that look on your face when you tasted it neat is priceless!! I literally laughed out loud when i watched that.

[TheDankezzz]

Im only able to get an hold of Caol Ila unpeated Cask Strenght.... Do you know if that is a worthy purchase?

If you should recommend me ONE Cask Strenght whisky? What brand would you recommend for me considered price and quality?

[ralfystuff]

@TheDankezzz

the unpeated CI is fine, but different without the peat. For cask strength, most standard available options are fine with Aberlour A'bunadh getting a good 'press'

[kidsafe]

@TheDankezzz I recently tried their 10-year-old unpeated, which comes in at a whopping 65.8%.  After one pour I went ahead and ordered 2 more bottles. Great stuff, even at such high ABV, I only add a splash of water, especially during or immediately after a meal.

[shuboy05]

@TheDankezzz

Since Ralfy recommended A'bunadh, I'd like to recommend Glenlivet Nadurra which is aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks (while A'bunadh is aged in sherry casks). This way you can get an idea of the difference in flavors.

[rallen11]

I don't see a hint of colour, and in fact I think that some Scotch Mist is present with the added water. Could this be a Diageo rarity. Excellent review as always Ralfy!

[Vicbartender1990]

Hey Ralfy, will you be attending Victoria's 2011 Whisky fest?

[ralfystuff]

@Vicbartender1990

no ! .... family commitments 'n' stuff !

[NickLightingale]

Yes! This one is an arse kicker. I too wonder about how old this one is, maybe about 10 yrs methinks...

[Nologiks]

Ralfy, another 90... Which means I must go grab me a bottle to try my-self.. Thanks Mate

[arcflashvictim]

I bought a bottle of this (Caol Ila cast strength) a few months ago, I was waiting to finish a few of my other bottles before getting stuck into this. Now I think I really need to open it !!.

Ouch!! take that distilleries!! keep throwing punches Ralfy, I love it.

[BozoTheBear]

for the nose, i find i can get past the peat by tasting a miniscule amount first - when the tongue gets used to the peat your nose can pick up everything else.

[REDHAWKMAN1000]

Greatings from Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. 

[NagareboshiFin]

It has been a year since your last Caol Ila- review. I´m glad that you took the cask-version under the microscope. Greetings from Finland and keep up the priceless job you are doing!

[daafies2]

i get cold watching this

[brunosoto]

Hi ralfy:

Dont you have central heating where you take your videos??

How cold was it when you took the video in the room

[ralfystuff]

@brunosoto

... 50 degrees, .... it's still very damp from ears of water ingress, but drying out well now I've sealed the outer walls.

[DavidTheBrewer]

Hi Ralfy. You've really got me in the mood to try some Caol Ila. If only single malts weren't so expensive in Australia! Would you recommend sealing the sample bottles with wax or some other means for storing the whisky for a few years or more?

[ralfystuff]

@DavidTheBrewer

... no need for wax if the screw stopper is sealing out the air.

[MRM0J0RISIN777]

@ralfystuff  cheers ralfy ill have to invest in some of that for christmas.

[MRM0J0RISIN777]

can ya do some irish whisky please ralphy like tullamore dew or jameson 12yo or 18 yo or any you could recommend. thanks

[ralfystuff]

@MRM0J0RISIN777

.... anything by Cooley, ... they fly the flag for Irish Whiskey at the moment !

[ralfystuff]

@MRM0J0RISIN777

or Irish Whiskey reviews check WhiskyReviews 119 - 126

[constablecomfortable]

How come there is no age statement on this Ralfie? Blended Malt?

[ralfystuff]

@constablecomfortable

Single Malt about 9 to 11 years old (I think !)

[z32na]

Ralfy, will you be reviewing Macallan 10 year Fine Oak? I saw you have a review of 10 year sherry. Or maybe you have tried it already, how was it if so?

[ralfystuff]

@z32na

... no Fine 10yo reviews as the last taste form a friends bottle was not a happy moment !

[Burrisant]

@z32na Macallan is massively overrated in some quarters.

[shuboy05]

For some reason, a number of distillers are still adding e150a to cask strength whiskies (someone in Germany has been compiling and posting the whiskies that have coloring marked on the label). I was surprised to see Glenlivet Nadurra on the list despite the fact that it is possibly the lightest in color of the Glenlivet line. The only explanation I can speculate is that the distillers are only adding a tiny amount to keep the color uniform so some cask strength whiskies may not have caramel

[shuboy05]

@shuboy05

That said, cask strength whiskies do proudly state Non-chill filtered on the label (since chill filtering is redundant when the ABV is 46% and above).

[ckbono16]

Ralfy, awesome review as usual. I've been reluctant to buy other Caol Ilas after buying a G&M version last year. Oddly enough, I find the G&M Caol Ila gives me heartburn, which is unlike the other Islay's I own or have tried. Should I expect the Distillery bottling to be the same? Cheers!

[ralfystuff]

@ckbono16

G & M is not an Independent bottler I tend to feature though much of their stuff is decent.

Signatory, Laings, and Duncan Taylor all have decent Caol Ila's ... but ask at the Forums where there are malt-fans to help ! e.g. whiskywhiskywhiskydotcom

Distillery bottle is fine, ... add a little water.

[Koato]

Ralfy, Just wanted to let you know.. you rock!!

[ralfystuff]

@Koato

Rock 'n' Roll 'n' Ruff 'n' Ready ... in a teddy bear jacket !

[Megawatt]

Ralfy, there is a "mystery malt" common around these parts called Dun Bheagan Islay. I have a strong suspicion that it is in fact Caol Ila. Perhaps you could investigate.

[ralfystuff]

@Megawatt

... as the DB is a single malt by an Independent bottler chances of it being CI are high as it's the cheapest /best quality available. (in my opinion).

[Megawatt]

@ralfystuff

Thanks. When I first tried Caol Ila 12 year old it reminded me strongly of Dun Bheagan Islay. The original of that malt has been much debated on the Web. Some say it is Ardbeg or Lagavulin even though it tastes nothing like those.

[Tantrum777]

Great review, I wanna try this one some time. 

[TheSpankymonkey]

I have this bottle. Lovely jubbly. Mine is about the same level as Ralphies.

[sincerelycynical]

Caol Ila 12 yr is one of my favorite single malts. I haven't been able to find a cask strength yet, but after watching this you've rekindled my desire to find one. Thanks for another great review Ralfy!

[Mikus2003]

Great review as always ;)

[elementalleague]

I know you have reviewed some rums. I just wanted to know if you are ever planning to review other spirits like tequila or gin. Thank you for the Reviews by the way.

[ralfystuff]

@elementalleague

... yes, ... next year, Rums, Tequilas, and cachacas !  yippee !

[keyfob]

wow it looks a bit chilly in that room.

[ralfystuff]

@keyfob

... damp rather than chilly ! .... I have sealed the outer walls with silicon-wash to reduce the wall-dampness but it will take time to achieve.

The temperature is 45 degrees.

[bigfraz6]

Tried this malt myself and found it excellent!! A couple of these though and you start the giggles. Gave a bad Hangover and a taste in morning like tcp. Still an excellent malt. Keep up the good work ralfy.

[GalaxyHorse]

@bigfraz6 All single malts will give you a hangover, but if you space your drams with a glass of water, you'll feel less 'phenolic' and dry in the morning-cask strength especially has a kick to it!