Review #260 - SMWS Distillery 53 Rare Release 'Floral Petrichor' - Caol Ila 14 Year
Another small batch release from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this time from the Caol Ila distillery (distillery 53) - it was bottled for the Society's celebration of the Islay Whisky Festival in 2023.
The youngest whisky in this batch was aged for 14 years; a combination of refill hogsheads (likely ex-bourbon) and American oak PX hogsheads was used for maturation. With that smoky Caol Ila distillate, we're looking forward to the lovely combination of peat and sherry.
SMWS Distillery 53 Rare Release 'Floral Petrichor' - Coal Ila 14 Year
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Bottle Price: USD 180 (2023)
Age Statement: 14 Years
Strength: 56.8% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill American oak ex-Pedro Ximenez hogsheads and refill hogsheads
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; 2,085 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 2 months; bottles at 60% and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Diverse in scents - rich cured meats and sausage, but also lime sherbet and sweet purple fruits like plum and grape. Hints of spice like white pepper, sweetness from orange fruit and brown sugar, and old dusty furniture wood; the peat smoke is a medium level, and has a musty character.
Palate: Medium-thick, with lots of smoky barbecue; barrel char, wood smoke, musty peat, as well as sweetness from blood orange, apple, berries, and hints of medicinal cherry. There's a soft vanilla custard note, some pepper, then some acai and soft sour fruit; a lot going on.
Finish: A long finish, lots of peat and wood smoke and char. The fruity side continues, with orange, raspberry ham, and cherries; pepper and molasses add cooking and baking notes. It's quite oily, and there's a nice mature oak note, too.
Final Note: Quite a wide range of flavors, with sweet, smoky, savory, and slightly funky notes all coming together. Lots of layers to explore - this is a great whisky. The only issue here is the price: $180 plus tax and shipping for a 14 year old Coal Ila is pushing the upper limit, in our opinion. Glad to have tasted this, but it's a bit too expensive for us.
Our Average Rating: 8.1 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.67
Check out our other Caol Ila reviews:
Review #200 - SMWS 53.363 'Delicious Earthy Smoke' - Caol Ila 10 Year
