Caol Ila 2004/2016 (Gordon & MacPhail)

If consistency would be a competition, than Caol Ila might just win. This Islay distillery produces consistently good, sometimes even great whisky, as this Caol Ila 2004/2016 from Gordon & MacPhail once again proves.

Now consistency is not always a good thing, because striving for it often leads to generic and bland whisky. But when consistency means that you’re always producing top notch stuff, than there’s no fault in that. None at all. Whether it is young, middle-aged or old, Caol Ila simply performs. Well, in my book at least 🙂

Caol Ila 2004/2016 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail)

Nose: Very coastal start with a light breeze, some seaweed and plenty of brine. Pickled lemons, big on lime juice, and sweet porridge. Vanilla too. And well, yes, peat of course. An implied characteristic, which is why I almost forgot to mention it. Excellent!
Taste: Bitter lemon and pink grapefruit, but also apple peel and licorice. Some malted barley with a pinch of salt. And peat smoke of course, elegantly intertwined.
Finish: Salty and smoky. Touch of brine.

Rating: 87

This Caol Ila noses great and also delivers on the palate. Great value for money, and fans of Islay whisky will surely enjoy this.

Sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail

Thijs Klaverstijn

Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.