Review #399 - Caol Ila 17 Year 'Unpeated Style'
A part of Diageo's annual special releases back in 2015 - this is a 17 year old Caol Ila with natural cask strength presentation. This is an unusual Caol Ila, though - it's unpeated, unlike most of the distillery's product. They've made a number of releases like this in the past, though we hadn't seen one since 2018; just recently, they announced that the 2024 Caol Ila special release will bring back the unpeated style.
This version spent its 17 years aging in ex-bourbon casks, so we should get a cleaner version of that famous Caol Ila distillate, albeit with a bit of age. Will the lack of peat allow the more subtle nuances of the spirit to shine through?
Caol Ila 17 Year 'Unpeated Style'
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 105 (2023, at auction)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 180 (2024)
Age Statement: 17 Years
Strength: 55.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon casks
Details: Distilled 1997, bottled 2015
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Lemon - both sharp lemon and sweet fruit curd - as well as some malty honey. Subtle sweet cream notes develop, along with some minerality like slate, and charcoal. There's a soft waxy character and a bit of weight to the spirit even in the nose; soft pear and honeycomb add more sweet flavors. White pepper and oak add balance with dry notes.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel, and the first flavors are honeycomb, lemons, a little bit of warming dry pepper. Oak grows stronger with time, and there's a soft polished wood component showing some age; honeysuckle, dry vanilla, a hint of smoke, and slate add secondary notes. On later sips, there's sharp lemon, hints of tropical fruit, perfume, and a creamy texture.
Finish: The aged, polished oak continues to intensify, but there's a sweet sugar and honey to balance it. White tea, minerality, lemon curd, and tart citrus add complex layers; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: Lovely and subtle. Some of the flavors were more delicate, but this improved quite a bit with some time to open up in the glass. The age, depth, and complexity open up and come to the front, allowing us a glimpse into the spirit character that sometimes hides behind the traditional peat presence in Caol Ila.
Value here is tricky - it's possible to get a bottle at auction for a reasonable price from time to time, as it can be a bit undervalued or less sought after; to buy an older release like this from a regularly available online store, however, might be a bit pricey.
Our Average Rating: 8.0 / 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: 6.05
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
