Caol Ila Distillery (from wikimedia commons)

Last week I’ve finished another whisky bottle which accompanied me for a while – a staple one, the Caol Ila 12. It was one of my earliest purchases when I was concentrating mainly on peated Islay whiskies. I looked at my tasting notes and much to my big surprise I found out I never wrote down proper notes on it, so immediately I ‘exerted myself’ and finished the bottle while writing down the tasting notes – all for you, my readers!

Caol Ila 12 (43%, buy for £35.15 here)

Nose: Fresh nose, smooth punch of peat with charcoal, smoky and salty, fruity below, pear drops, even some lemon pie, underground river of sweet, vanilla & heather honey

Palate: Starts with peat, ashes, charcoal, but not as fierce as I remembered from previous drinking (oxidization effect I’m afraid), some salt and cured BBQ meat, sweet fruits, lemon.

Finish: Medium length. Lingering sweet fresh fruits layered with peat and some oak beneath

Conclusion: Solid medium peated whisky. It’s lighter than the heavy weight southern Islay whiskies but delivers enough punch to enjoy it with your dinner or BBQ.