Caol Ila 27 Year Old for QV.ID

The last Caol Ila this week is the oldest: 27 years. It was distilled in 1983 and bottled by QV.ID, a Belgian retailer, in 2010. It matured on a refill sherry cask. The color and viscosity are enticing.

Oh, my, that nose… peat and brine are definitely present, but remain quiet in a dark corner of the stage, conceding the footlights to a whole range of fruit: blood orange, lemon, gooseberry and even a slice of kiwi. A lot of grasses and flowers. It develops in the glass if you give it time. For a whisky at this blessed age, that’s not a lot of effort. Acacia honey and roasted almonds is not something you would attribute to a Caol Ila, is it? This one has it all.

On the palate, it’s briny and creamy. A gem, really. The sweetness of the honey and the fruit (primarily citrusy notes) are in perfect balance with the salt and smoke (coming more to the fore here). This is one helluva Caol Ila.

The sweet/salty finish is the only part I dare to critisize. And even that is an overstatement. It’s simply to short to my personal preference. Such a beautiful whisky should be gone quite so fast, don’t you agree?

Joking apart, this is a great whisky. It’s almost as good as the Caol Ila 1966 Centenary Reserve from Gordon & Macphail. Almost. That’s quite a compliment.

Find where to buy Caol Ila whisky