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Caol Ila 2007/2023 tasting notes
Mar. 23rd, 2025 12:22 amCaol Ila 16YO Signatory Vintage 70cl 52.8% ABV
Cask Strength Collection
Distilled February 9, 2007, bottled August 24, 2023
Initially matured in hogsheads, finished in a fresh Oloroso Sherry butt for 32 months
Cask no: 206
Bottle 383 / 689 (different number on the stock photo)
Color: dark brown. Outstanding.
Nose: peat, cocoa, smoke, rosin, burnt plastic, lacquer, grassy notes, smoked fish, rubber, woody twigs, tea, cedar nuts, wet newspaper, pencil shavings, dark chocolate, muesli, nectarines, ash, dates, honey, leather, engine oil, and nuttiness. The layers unfold continuously, each revealing new intricacies. Classic Caol Ila and sherry notes, perfectly interwoven. Remarkable.
Taste: smoky and oily, with notes of cocoa, dark chocolate, lemons, orange zest, peat, cherries, plums of varying ripeness, raisins, oak, pepper, and leather. Dense, chewy, and immensely satisfying. Sweet but never cloying, very smooth.
Finish: ash, rubber, cherries, orange zest, cocoa, peat, smoke, pepper, herbs, lemons, dark chocolate, chokeberries, and prunes.
Score: 9 ¼. Almost excellent. +3+2+2.
Conclusion: you can guess the whisky will be superb just by looking at that color! A fantastic, heavily sherried, and incredibly rich malt. Calling it a sherry monster would be an understatement because it offers so much more. The aroma is simply captivating. Over the last 10 years, I've only had three of Signatory's famous decanter bottles, but this month I managed to buy three more, including the Caol Ila. The marriage of peat and prolonged sherry maturation creates a truly impressive combination. My 75th Caol Ila tasted, and one of the finest. 93/100. Wow!
Cask Strength Collection
Distilled February 9, 2007, bottled August 24, 2023
Initially matured in hogsheads, finished in a fresh Oloroso Sherry butt for 32 months
Cask no: 206
Bottle 383 / 689 (different number on the stock photo)
Color: dark brown. Outstanding.
Nose: peat, cocoa, smoke, rosin, burnt plastic, lacquer, grassy notes, smoked fish, rubber, woody twigs, tea, cedar nuts, wet newspaper, pencil shavings, dark chocolate, muesli, nectarines, ash, dates, honey, leather, engine oil, and nuttiness. The layers unfold continuously, each revealing new intricacies. Classic Caol Ila and sherry notes, perfectly interwoven. Remarkable.
Taste: smoky and oily, with notes of cocoa, dark chocolate, lemons, orange zest, peat, cherries, plums of varying ripeness, raisins, oak, pepper, and leather. Dense, chewy, and immensely satisfying. Sweet but never cloying, very smooth.
Finish: ash, rubber, cherries, orange zest, cocoa, peat, smoke, pepper, herbs, lemons, dark chocolate, chokeberries, and prunes.
Score: 9 ¼. Almost excellent. +3+2+2.
Conclusion: you can guess the whisky will be superb just by looking at that color! A fantastic, heavily sherried, and incredibly rich malt. Calling it a sherry monster would be an understatement because it offers so much more. The aroma is simply captivating. Over the last 10 years, I've only had three of Signatory's famous decanter bottles, but this month I managed to buy three more, including the Caol Ila. The marriage of peat and prolonged sherry maturation creates a truly impressive combination. My 75th Caol Ila tasted, and one of the finest. 93/100. Wow!
