Which Water of Life Did You Purchase Today?

[The Boozer]

Caol Ila 18 yr. Its been discontinued so I feel pretty lucky to have pick it up. Was actually pretty shocked to see it at the party store given it was de-listed about 6-8 months ago from the State list.
TJ

[unclebunk]

Caol Ila 18 yr. Its been discontinued so I feel pretty lucky to have pick it up. Was actually pretty shocked to see it at the party store given it was de-listed about 6-8 months ago from the State list.
TJ

Nice score, Boozer. What did you pay for that, if you don't mind my asking? And how does it taste compared to the younger expressions? I've really enjoyed my bottle of Caol Ila 12 and hadn't realized the stuff was as good as it is until I broke down and bought a bottle. Caol Ila seems to get less attention and fewer positive reviews than their more famous Islay neighbors, but I think it's top notch whisky. It was Lost Pollito who got me thinking I should buy a bottle and he was certainly right about its quality.

[AVB]

I did a review of the 18 back in 2005 if you want to read it

[unclebunk]

I did a review of the 18 back in 2005 if you want to read it

Thanks for the link to the review. I'm now interested in checking out the CI 18 but didn't see it on the Binny's web site. Has it been discontinued or is it simply not widely available? Another reviewer mentioned that Caol Ila has many of the characteristics found in other Islays (peat, smoke, seaweed, etc.) but is more "nuanced," making it somewhat easier to tease out the various flavors and aromas. I think that that is quite true, as it is certainly harder for me to discern what lies beneath the peat and smoke in Laphroaig and Ardbeg than Caol Ila. In that regard, you could make the case that Caol Ila is more balanced than those two, though I love them all now.

[AVB]

I don't know if it has been discontinued or they don't have any 18 yo product at the moment but it is getting much harder to find. It is still listed on the website so maybe it really is just a product shortage.

[The Boozer]

Another reviewer mentioned that Caol Ila has many of the characteristics found in other Islays (peat, smoke, seaweed, etc.) but is more "nuanced," making it somewhat easier to tease out the various flavors and aromas. I think that that is quite true, as it is certainly harder for me to discern what lies beneath the peat and smoke in Laphroaig and Ardbeg than Caol Ila. In that regard, you could make the case that Caol Ila is more balanced than those two, though I love them all now.

About $65 + tax, which I recall was the State min price before MI dropped it from their list.

As far as taste, you nailed it right on the head. Caol Ila is the most balanced of the Islay SMS. While I love the so called "big 3" I also have a hard time getting to the underlying flavors past all the smoke and peat. Caol Ila 12 and 18 are like chocolate covered salty pretzels, sweetness and salty working together on the palate. I would say that CI 12 tends to be more towards briny/salt in taste whereas CI 18 tends to be more cocoa/sweetness. Both are great and highly recommend. Good review AVB.

As a side note the LCC added a Caol Ila 10 yr cask strength and Caol Ila Distiller's Edition to the State list. Have an order in the the 10 yr CS, its 131.6 proof.
TJ

[JamesW]

I'm very curious now about the 18 yr CI after reading AVB's review.
The 12 yr never really did it for me though. I've always found it to be decent but a bit too 'thin' for my tastes. I'd spend the extra 5-10 and get Laga 16. However I just saw the CI 18 for $65 online and am very tempted....

[The Boozer]

I'm very curious now about the 18 yr CI after reading AVB's review.
The 12 yr never really did it for me though. I've always found it to be decent but a bit too 'thin' for my tastes. I'd spend the extra 5-10 and get Laga 16. However I just saw the CI 18 for $65 online and am very tempted....

I don't want to talk you out of anything but you may want to pass if you thought the CI 12 was "thin". I found the flavors in CI 18 to be more subtle than in the 12 yr. For lack of better vocabulary, I would say that the 18 yr is a "gentler" Islay. BTW Laga 16 is $87 + 6% tax in MI while Laph and Ard 10 are both $49.99. Guess what's not in my liquor cabinet. TJ

[JamesW]

I don't want to talk you out of anything but you may want to pass if you thought the CI 12 was "thin". I found the flavors in CI 18 to be more subtle than in the 12 yr. For lack of better vocabulary, I would say that the 18 yr is a "gentler" Islay. BTW Laga 16 is $87 + 6% tax in MI while Laph and Ard 10 are both $49.99. Guess what's not in my liquor cabinet. TJ

Ouch! I can get Laga 16 regularly for $60 and sometimes even low 50's. Ardberg 10 regularly goes for low $40's near me as well.

on the side...one of my favorites is the non-Islay, island of Skye's Talisker 18. Great balance of honey-smoke, salty brine and with a spicy chili-pepper finish. But that has really shot up in price lately too. I can still get it though for around $70 with the 10 yr for around $50, however the 10 year hasn't been as good of late.

[ama]

About $65 + tax, which I recall was the State min price before MI dropped it from their list.

As far as taste, you nailed it right on the head. Caol Ila is the most balanced of the Islay SMS. While I love the so called "big 3" I also have a hard time getting to the underlying flavors past all the smoke and peat. Caol Ila 12 and 18 are like chocolate covered salty pretzels, sweetness and salty working together on the palate. I would say that CI 12 tends to be more towards briny/salt in taste whereas CI 18 tends to be more cocoa/sweetness. Both are great and highly recommend. Good review AVB.

As a side note the LCC added a Caol Ila 10 yr cask strength and Caol Ila Distiller's Edition to the State list. Have an order in the the 10 yr CS, its 131.6 proof.
TJ

The CI 10 CS is a completely different whisky. Its unpeated!