CEO of a large import company for Italian wines, his Triple A movement works with wine domains that carry out their craft in line with the motto “Agricoltori, Artigiani, Artisti” (Growers, Artisans, Artists). As we’ve discussed before, Caol Ila remains a hidden gem, to the extent that those exist anymore in our information-saturated world of whisky.

Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. The General Wine Company sources wines from all over the world, but with a particular focus on small, independent producers. I’ve had others that were shrinking violets to start, but evolved along the trajectory you noted, gaining body and complexity over time. The three big Glens ( Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and Glenmorangie) all have entrants of this age, as do dozens of other distilleries. Several observations follow: age isn’t everything, small differences in strength can produce meaningful differences in flavor, single casks can justify the risks… but mostly: Caol Ila can slay all day.There are so many elements which have left their traces, but which don’t present themselves fully due to the low strength. The "sustainable" designation covers all estates certified for using sustainable or High Environmental Value (level 3 Environmental Certification) techniques. I’m not the most influential bloke in whisky, but there’s enough of a consensus building here that I hope Diageo will take note and consider releasing this at an ABV that will highlight more of this wonderful distillery’s strength.

For many this is the stand out in the Caol Ila range but we recommend having a bottle of the 12 Year Old for serving with food and a bottle of the 18 Year Old for evening drams.Caol Ila 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky has spiced, peaty, sea air notes, peppery flavours and a complex well-rounded finish. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. However, one of the thibgs Zi love about Caol Ila is how well it shows at a comparatively younger age. ends up in various blends, as it’s the go-to standard for adding smoke to blended malts these days because of its inherent softness and willingness to play with others.

Perhaps this 18yo is straddling the great young releases and the distinguished older releases being neither one nor the other. Some charming salty flavors of cashews and walnuts emerge at midpalate, which persist into and through the finish. Considering all of the above, you’d think we’d have covered this distillery more or less comprehensively, right?

I’ve had whiskies that were ready to go as soon as the cork was pulled, and never changed much after the first sip.

The bottlings got older and older every year until it disappeared from the Special Releases lineup altogether in 2019. Happy to place the last piece in the puzzle I’ll be considering a dram, hoping to add to my collection of favorites emblazoned with the big one-eight.These estates may have adopted biodynamic principles (non-certified) or simply no longer use chemical products. Without limiting the foregoing, the License does not include (a) the right to resell or use the Service commercially (unless explicitly allowed under the applicable subscription plan), (b) the right to make the Service publicly available or use for public display, (c) any downloading, duplicating, or copying, collection and use of any contents of the Services, e.