The Whiskyphiles

Caol Ila

Caol Ila Distillery

History Caol Ila is derived from Gaelic Caol Ìle for “Sound of Islay” (lit. “Islay Strait”) in reference to the distillery’s location overlooking the strait between Islay and Jura. It was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. The distillery did not fare well, and changed hands in 1854 when Norman Buchanan, owner of the Isle of Jura Distillery, took over. In 1863 the business was acquired by Bulloch Lade & Co, of Glasgow, traders in whisky stocks. By the 1880s over 147,000 gallons of whisky were produced there each year. In 1920 Bulloch Lade went into voluntary liquidation, and a consortium of businessmen formed the Caol Ila Distillery Company Ltd. In 1927 the Distillers Company acquired a controlling interest in Caol Ila, and in 1930 Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd obtained ownership of all the shares. The distillery closed during World War II, from 1942 to 1945, because of wartime restrictions on the supply of barley to distillers. From then, production continued until 1972, when the entire structure of the distillery was demolished. A larger distillery was then built, designed by George Leslie Darge in the same architectural style as many of his others with his trademark glazed curtain walls to the still houses, and production resumed in 1974. The company eventually became part of Diageo.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official Bottling
  • caol-ila-12-year-old-whisky Caol Ila 12 Years Old (2018) – Caol Ila 12 Years Old Whisky Review: A wonderful expression full of mossy and earthy peat, which not only brings smoke but also accentuates an earthiness on the palate which is really the highlight for me. 84/100
  • Caol Ila lineup Caol Ila 15 Years Old 1998 Feis Ile 2013 (2014) – Caol Ila 15 Years Old 1998 Feis Ile 2013 (56.5%, OB, Triple Matured, 3000 Bottles, 2013) 56.5% ABV, £100 for 70cl from Caol Ila Distillery shop Score: 87/100 What they say: “Spirit distilled in 1998 has been triple-cask matured. For 12 years it rested in a combination of Refill Butts, Hogsheads and Barrels. The vatted […]
  • Caol Ila 15 Years Old 1998 Unpeated Style (2015) – Caol Ila 15 Years Old 1998 Unpeated 2014 Special Release (60.39%, OB, Special Releases, 1st Fill Bourbon Casks, 10668 Bottles, 2014) Single malt scotch whisky 60.3% ABV, £75 for 70cl Score: 84/100 What they say: This limited edition cask strength single malt comes from a batch made just once a year, from unpeated malt, for […]
  • Caol Ila 2001 Distillers Edition (2014) – Caol Ila 2001 Distillers Edition (43%, OB, C-si; 9-473, 2013) Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky Origin: Caol Ila distillery Bottling: Diageo, OB ABV: 43% Cost: £45 What they say Each Distillers Edition expression undergoes a second (or ‘double’) maturation in casks that have previously held a fortified wine. This extraordinarily stylish and complex expression […]
  • caol-ila-2003-bottled-2015-moscatel-cask-finish-distillers-edition-whisky Caol Ila 2003 Distillers Edition (2018) – Caol Ila 2003 Distillers Edition whisky review: A deliciously sweet and peaty Caol Ila Distillers Edition with a burst of well-integrated fruits adding to the heady malt and smoke mixture.  84/100
  • caol-ila-2004-bottled-2016-moscatel-cask-finish-distillers-edition-whisky Caol Ila 2004 Distillers Edition (2018) – Caol Ila 2004 Distillers Edition whisky review: A much more meatier and smokier edition than the previous years vintage. Some may like this more but I think this has drifted slightly too far from the sweet and peat balance. More like a standard Caol Ila, malt and smoke becomes spicy and drying and a little sourness from the wood is unmasked too. 82/100
  • Caol Ila 25YO Caol Ila 25 Year Old (2014) – Caol Ila 25 Year Old (Official Bottling) 42% ABV, £130-165 for 70cl Score: 85/100 What they say: Launched in 2010 this is a 25 Year Old Caol Ila bottled at 43% ABV Official Tasting Notes Appearance: Full gold, medium viscosity. Aroma: Without water, sweet-spicy, fresh sea air notes with hints of preserved fruit, perhaps. Adding […]
  • Coal Ila Cask 985 Caol Ila 26 Year Old 1988 Cask 985 (2014) – Caol Ila 26 Year Old 1988 Oloroso Cask Finish [Cask #985] (Single Cask Sample) ~ low 50’s % ABV (at a guess), £ priceless Score: 86/100 What they say: Distilled in 1988 and matured for 26 years, this Caol Ila expression has been finished in an Oloroso sherry cask. Served directly from the cask we […]
  • caol-ila-moch Caol Ila Moch (2015) – Caol Ila Moch (43%, OB, 2015) Caol Ila Distillery – Diageo 43% ABV £41.39 Score: 82/100 What they say: Taking its name from the Gaelic for ‘dawn’, Moch is a wonderful newcomer from this renowned distillery. It is the first single malt from Caol Ila to be selected for taste alone: sweet, smooth and lightly […]
  • Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve 2013 Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve (2014) – Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve Unpeated Style (59.6%, OB, Special Releases, 2013) 59.6% ABV, £70 for 70cl Score: 82/100 What they say: A limited edition, natural cask strength single malt. From Caol Ila, an active distillery on the Isle of Islay. A eighth limited release of unpeated Caol Ila. From a batch made only once a […]
  • Coal Ila 12 Years Old Feis Ile 2021 (2021) – Delicious sweet and char notes plus some extra fruits from the Moscatel wine cask boost classic Coal Ila sweet smoke flavours. Rich with plenty of depth and stewed and dried fruits.
Independent Bottling
Cadenhead
  • Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2003 Small Batch (2015) – Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2003 Small Batch (46%, Cadenheads, Bourbon Casks, 738 Bottles, 2014) Islay single malt scotch whisky 46% ABV, £75 for 70cl Score: 86/100 What they say: Distilled in 2003 at the Caol Ila distillery on Islay and aged for 10 years in Bourbon Hogsheads before producing 738 bottles at 46% Nose: […]
Carn Mor
  • Caol Ila 27 Years Old 1983 The Vintage Collection (2015) – Caol Ila 27 Years Old 1983 Cask 1118 (46%, Carn Mor, HH #1118, 1077 Bottles, 2010) Islay single malt scotch whisky 46% ABV, £19.50 for 20cl Score: 92/100 What they say: The Carn Mor Vintage Collection is a truly unique Single Malt Whisky anthology. 24 single malt scotch whiskies, from 24 individual casks, from 24 […]
Chapter 7
Claxton’s
  • caol-ila-7-year-old-2012-claxtons-whisky Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2012 The Single Cask (2019) – Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2012 Claxton’s whisky review: Very drinkable, quite simple and clean on the palate but all the better for it. Sweet vanilla with a hint of citrus meets peat smoke and wood. 83/100
Douglas Laing
  • Caol Ila 5 Years Old 2011 Provenance (2018) – Very pleasant, sweetened and peat-fuelled with a little honey and toffee malt to keep it pleasant, Caol Ila is surprisingly good at this age and this is a particularly great example! 86/100
Duncan Taylor
  • Caol Ila 2008 Duncan Taylor Pre-Post-Octave Caol Ila 2008 Post-Octave (2018) – Caol Ila 2008 Post-Octave whisky review: Again a very different experience, lots has moved around in this whisky when compared to the pre-octave and a heap of spices added, although here they are less distracting than the Highalnd Park Post-Octave. A lot more burnt, but dry burnt rather than over-caramelised sugars. Although the same score I prefer the Pre-Octave Caol Ila. 86/100
  • Caol Ila 2008 Duncan Taylor Pre-Post-Octave Caol Ila 2008 Pre-Octave (2018) – Caol Ila 2008 Pre-Octave whisky review: A lovely vanilla and ashen Caol Ila, for a 10 year old this has developed a lot of subtleties that make it simply wonderful, ever-evolving on the palate gently introducing new flavours and aromas – not overpowering. Yum! 86/100
Gordon & MacPhail
  • Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2003 Cask Strength (2015) – Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2003 Cask Strength (59.6%, Gordon & MacPhail, Refill Sherry Butts #302381-302383, 2014) Islay single malt scotch whisky 59.6% ABV, £53.95 Score: 86/100 What they say: A 2003 vintage Caol Ila released by independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail as part of the Cask Strength Series. Distilled on September 10, this was […]
  • caol-ila-18-year-old-1994-sassicaia-wood-finish-private-collection-gordon-and-macphail-whisky Caol Ila 18 Years Old 1994 Private Collection (Gordon & MacPhail) (2013) – Although this is one of the smoothest and most interesting Caol Ila expression I have had in a long time, there are still some elements of this distillate that I can’t seem to love no matter how hard I try. This is a very special combination of subtle smoke and huge fruity wine flavours and all credit to Gordon & MacPhail for a superb maturation and bottling. 86/100
  • Caol Ila 2004 Connoisseurs Choice (2017) – Caol Ila 2004 Connoisseur’s Choice (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, 2016) Whisky Review Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky Origin: Caol Ila Distillery Bottling: Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseur’s Choice ABV: 46% Cost: £42.43 What they say: In the mid-1960s Gordon & MacPhail took the unprecedented step of launching a range of single malts under the brand […]
  • caol-ila-33-year-old-1984-connoisseurs-choice Caol Ila 33 Years Old 1984 Connoisseurs Choice (2019) – Caol Ila 1984 Connoisseurs Choice whisky review: Tropical fruits on a bbq, a rich and deep fruity profile for this aged example then a dash of salt like seared scallops in butter, plenty of woody and charred notes too. A fantastic Caol Ila! 91/100
Hunter Laing
  • Caol Ila 17yo OMC Caol Ila 17 Years Old 1996 Old Malt Cask (2014) – Caol Ila 17 Years Old 1996 Old Malt Cask (50%, Hunter Laing, Refill HH #10123, 324 Bottles, 2013) 50% ABV, £80 for 70cl Score: 85/100 What they say: A 1996 vintage Caol Ila from independent bottlers Hunter Laing as part of their Old Malt Casks series. Aged for 17 years before bottling, this is a […]
Lockett Bros
  • Lockett_bros caol ila 8 year old 2009 Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2009 Bass (2019) – Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2009 Bass whisky review: Slightly less well rounded and full bodied than the younger sample we tried, evidence of a slightly under-active or over-aerated cask perhaps? 83/100
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
  • The Whiskyphiles SMWS 53.178 bottles SMWS 53.178 A pebble beach with iodine (2014) – Caol Ila 20 Years Old 1992 53.178 A pebble beach with iodine (55.8%, SMWS, 281 Bottles, 2013) 55.8% ABV, £68 for 70cl Score: 80/100 What they say: The distillery overlooks the Sound of Islay and this example of its make is as clean and elemental as the sea itself: salt and seaweed – a pebble […]
  • Scotch Malt Whisky Society SMWS 53.191 Candy Fruit Filled Seashells (2014) – Caol Ila 16 Years Old 1996 53.191 Candy Fruit Filled Seashells (56.3%, SMWS, Refill Bourbon HH, 245 Bottles, 2013) 56.3% ABV, outturn 245 bottles, £59 for 70cl (Coal Ila) Score: 74/100 What they say: Cask No. 53.191 The initial nose neat was like a salty sea breeze standing on a sand dune, soon followed by […]
  • SMWS 53.193 To bring a smile to every face (2015) – Caol Ila 22 Years Old 1992 53.193 To bring a smile to every face (49.9%, SMWS, Bourbon Barrel, Member Pack, 2014) Islay single malt scotch whisky 49.9% ABV, 10cl bottle received in SMWS membership gift pack Score: 86/100 What they say: Cask 53.193 The nose has harbours, sea-shells, smoked fish, Dolly Mixtures, waxed jackets, leather, […]
  • SMWS 53.198 Wasabi on a California roll (2015) – Caol Ila 18 Years Old 1995 53.198 Wasabi on a California roll (59.1%, SMWS, Refill Sherry Butt, 510 Bottles, 2014) Single malt scotch whisky 59.1% ABV Score: 84/100 What they say: An image of an old derelict wooden pier by a pebble beach on a hot sunny day with ageing lobster pots. Fresher notes appear […]
  • SMWS 53.212 Peat smoke and para handy puffers SMWS 53.212 Peat smoke and Para Handy puffers (2016) – Caol Ila 22 Years Old 1992 53.212 Peat smoke and Para Handy puffers (56.4%, SMWS, Refill Bourbon HH, 291 Bottles, 2014) Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky Origin: Caol Ila distillery Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 53.212 Peat smoke and Para Handy puffers ABV: 56.4% Cost: £89.60 Score: 87/100 What they say: 53.212 Peat […]
  • SMWS 53.222 The Three Little Pigs SMWS 53.222 The three little pigs (2015) – Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2000 53.222 The three little pigs (58.4%, SMWS, Refill HH, 284 Bottles, 2014) Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky Origin: Caol Ila distillery Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 53.222 The three little pigs ABV: 58.4% Cost: £51.80 Score: 86/100 What they say: 53.222 The Three Little Pigs Once upon […]
That Boutique-Y Whisky Company
  • Islay #1 10 Years Old Batch 3 (2021) – Basic but delicious Islay malt, an oddly unsalted sweet and smoky combo. 84/100
  • Islay #1 Batch 1 (2018) – Another delicious Islay single malt, this is a great example, plenty of peat but with some lovely coastal, malty and generally meaty and bbq flavours to enjoy too. 88/100