Advent 2022 #17 - Caol Ila 9 2009 The Whisky Exchange

I picked this up quite a while ago by now back when I still thought it was feasible and practical to try all but the most exclusive expressions from Islay distilleries. Now that I’ve long since realized that ambition is pretty pie in the sky, it got put into the Advent sample pool and turned up today. IB Caol Ilas right around 10 years old are typically excellent in my experience, so let’s see if this continues that.

Caol Ila 9, 2009 Vintage, The Whisky Exchange, Islay Single Malt, 58.7% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2009 and matured in a Gonzalezz & Byass Sherry cask numbered 316103 for 9 years and bottled in 2019 as part of the ‘Magic of the Cask’ series yielding 308 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Chestnut, Oloroso Sherry; 1.2.

Nose: Musty, smoke, ash. It’s got a sharpness that I almost want to call plasticy, but don’t want to suggest it actually smells of plastic.

Taste: Mustier, hints of tart fruit behind an earthy smoke.

Finish: Similar mustiness and smoke. Long.

Guess: A young Caol Ila, though Triple Wood wouldn’t surprise me, but I think I’m right.

Cool, I got this one pretty well. Unfortunately, the remaining drams in the pool are ones which I think I know are in there. Fortunately, if memory serves most of the rest of this calendar can be real bangers. This is a nice whisky. I wouldn’t call it ‘excellent’ but it does continue the trend of Caol Ilas around this old being enjoyable. Glad to see that from a Sherry cask, as bourbon casks have been the ones that really made that impression on me. The nose is the best, and the finish is greatly lengthened by the ABV, and other than being a little burny if you really sniff hard the ABV really only contributes that benefit without any other baggage that can sometimes accompany a higher ABV.

Score: 83

Glenlivet 36 1981 Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange

I’m not gonna lie, most of the reason for my purchasing this was to have something in this age tier for the sake of it. That said, I’m not disinterested in it, it’s just nothing I’d go for otherwise. Preferring peat, and only ever having Glenlivet back when I thought Scotch was something to shoot, I’d never have thought of it, but as my appreciation for unpeated malt has grown, I am looking forward to it.

Glenlivet 36, 1981 Vintage, Signatory Vintage, Speyside Single Malt, 47.6% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on December 21, 1981 and matured for 36 years with the final 76 months in Sherry butt #12 and bottled on April 18, 2018 yielding 702 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnt umber; 1.7.

Nose: Fruity, malty delight. Orange liqueur chocolate treat. Very little jumps out (other than intense fruitiness from the glass before you even get your nose to it), but many things play coy in the background.

Taste: Wow, rich, decadent fruit. Cherry goop. Orange. And whatever that tasty chewable antibiotic is that as a kid made me happy to be sick.

Finish: Orange zest and malt. Medium-short.

This exceeded my expectations, and given the described familiarity with Glenlivet that was a surprise. The nose was nice, and the palate was full of bold flavor, though the finish didn’t last as long as I’d have enjoyed.

Score: 90

Musical Evocation: Mazzy Star – “Fade Into You”

2020 Advent #10 - Caol Ila 7 The Art of Whisky Malting

This is a kind of neat concept with a couple expressions representing each element of whisky making. I also like Caol Ila, so that was enough to get it. Did it deliver.

Caol Ila 7, The Art of Whisky Malting, The Whisky Exchange, Islay Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Matured for 7 years in ex-Bourbon hogsheads and bottled at cask strength in 2017 resulting in 600 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in a glencairn.

Color: White wine, 0.1.

Nose: Musty smoke, earthy, slight brine.

Taste: Oaky sweet, dirty, spice.

Finish: Very little for a second into smoke, earth, brine.

Guess: A Staoisha with a decent proof about 5-6 years old. Maybe a Caol Ila.

The color got me with how close this was to the extraordinarily transparent one from a couple days ago. This was just the tiniest bit darker, but not enough to get to the next decimal level. I kept thinking Caol Ila the whole time, but with the color similarity combined with how much it reminded me of the other one with the salinity toned down I couldn’t shake a young Staoisha. There is more ethanol sensation on the nose than I’d ever expect from this proof, but the light feel of the finish lines up with that. I suppose that color means they definitely let the focus of this be the malt rather than the cask. All in all, it was nice, but a bit “hot.”

Score: 85

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

2019 Advent #24 - Ledaig 12 Present Future

I’ve become a massive fan of Ledaig since trying the 10, so it’s fitting this is the closer of the 2019 Advent project. The spirit they make is so good, as long as the price is right I’d pretty much buy anything they made without checking reviews and I’d recommend it to just about anyone who isn’t allergic to anything in it. I’ve not yet had a Sherried Ledaig, and even though I speculatively bought this before knowing how I felt about Ledaig I am eager to try it.

Ledaig 12 Present Future, Mull Single Malt, 58.4% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2005 and bottled by The Whisky Exchange for the Whisky Show 2018. Matured in a Sherry butt. This is meant to represent a style of whisky coming into favor now and where whisky is trending in the immediate future. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Brown Sherry, 1.9.

Nose: Definite smoke and fruit, some funk.

Taste: Fruity malt, some smoke, big heat.

Finish: Smoke and funk jump out. The heat wobbles in intensity as it all fades over a long finish.

Guess: This was the last in the pool so I knew what it was going in, thus the “blind” in quotes in the title. Next year I’ll be selecting 24 from a pool of n>24 and not looking at what doesn’t get selected to allow all to be done blindly.

I am very disappointed this isn’t really available anymore. Holy smokes is this good. While having this I was thinking it’s what I wanted Bunnahabhain 12 to be, if it had the smoky element this does I’d have liked it a ton more. That has me looking more forward to their peated stuff. This also has me excited that I pulled the trigger on a similarly aged IB Ledaig that was also Sherried and can’t open that soon enough. Can they make anything bad? I’ll keep buying until I find out, but I suspect I won’t ever find it.

Score: 93

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar: