very strong smoky nose, bonfires plus some sweet fruity nose Peppery, chilli notes come out with some water, some sweet supporting sherried notes, creamy texture Nice blend of smoke and sweetness - balanced
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Medium-light daffodil color. This is very balanced throughout both the nose and the palate. Seashore and iodine aromas mingle with a malty sweetness, some faint citrus fruit smells, and a light touch of peaty smoke. This is very agile on the palate, again with a balance of maritime nuance, ripe fruit, sweetly malty flavors, and peat smoke. The intensity on the latter is significantly below that of the usual Islay suspects, making this feel altogether more clean and light-bodied in the mouth. The finish is moderate. Not really the type of Island malt that knocks you out of your boots, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. I enjoyed sipping this, but found it a bit lacking in body to make a more forceful recommendation.
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6cl sample (not sure when it was bottled). With Larissa and Darryl. This regular Caol Ila 12 Years Old was a little darker than the Dun Bheagan Caol Ila 10 Years Old 1992/2003, but still relatively light in colour. It had a less smoky, more subtle nose that the Dun Bheagan and actually smelled like a very young whisky, with ripe fruit, pear, banana, pineapple, gasoline, liquorice and a maritime sea-breeze component. The palate was less complex than the nose, fruity, with smoke, liquorice and mild maritime notes. It was medium-bodied, with warming alcohol and good length. A little disappointing, in particular if compared with the Dun Bheagan. Body 5/10, Smoke 4/10, Sweetness 4/10.
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Very expressive smokey, peaty nose leaps from the glass. The flavors highlight the peat with a light medicinal undercurrent that builds into a warm, cinnamon spice finish. The alcohol is present but not in an overpowering way.
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Despite some other tasters grumbling about this bottle I actually found it quite pleasant. Very fruity compared to other Islay's that I have had, but not as quixotic as say Bowmore's basic 12. This seems to hang together more in its unsual qualities.
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8/14/2021 - chatters wrote:
W.A.N.K. (Zoom call): Lovely iodine, smoked herring, cream and apple, slight rubber. Smoky and quite rich on the palate. Nice.
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5/3/2020 - Tauro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Peaty stuff
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9/19/2019 - patatty Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sweet peaty smokiness with medium length finish
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6/18/2018 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
very strong smoky nose, bonfires plus some sweet fruity nose
Peppery, chilli notes come out with some water, some sweet supporting sherried notes, creamy texture
Nice blend of smoke and sweetness - balanced
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2/13/2017 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 89 Points
Medium-light daffodil color. This is very balanced throughout both the nose and the palate. Seashore and iodine aromas mingle with a malty sweetness, some faint citrus fruit smells, and a light touch of peaty smoke. This is very agile on the palate, again with a balance of maritime nuance, ripe fruit, sweetly malty flavors, and peat smoke. The intensity on the latter is significantly below that of the usual Islay suspects, making this feel altogether more clean and light-bodied in the mouth. The finish is moderate. Not really the type of Island malt that knocks you out of your boots, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. I enjoyed sipping this, but found it a bit lacking in body to make a more forceful recommendation.
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6/8/2016 - PSPatrick wrote: 87 Points
6cl sample (not sure when it was bottled). With Larissa and Darryl. This regular Caol Ila 12 Years Old was a little darker than the Dun Bheagan Caol Ila 10 Years Old 1992/2003, but still relatively light in colour. It had a less smoky, more subtle nose that the Dun Bheagan and actually smelled like a very young whisky, with ripe fruit, pear, banana, pineapple, gasoline, liquorice and a maritime sea-breeze component. The palate was less complex than the nose, fruity, with smoke, liquorice and mild maritime notes. It was medium-bodied, with warming alcohol and good length. A little disappointing, in particular if compared with the Dun Bheagan. Body 5/10, Smoke 4/10, Sweetness 4/10.
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4/22/2011 - Meerlust wrote: 91 Points
Very expressive smokey, peaty nose leaps from the glass. The flavors highlight the peat with a light medicinal undercurrent that builds into a warm, cinnamon spice finish. The alcohol is present but not in an overpowering way.
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1/22/2011 - rharlow wrote: 89 Points
Very good, smooth, not too peated. In a tasting with 2 or 3 other single malts, this one always seems to end up in the middle.
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7/2/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Despite some other tasters grumbling about this bottle I actually found it quite pleasant. Very fruity compared to other Islay's that I have had, but not as quixotic as say Bowmore's basic 12. This seems to hang together more in its unsual qualities.
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11/30/2009 - jswartz wrote: 90 Points
Very tasty, smokey and similar to Lagavulin 16 yr
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