Caol Ila 1983 (The Whisky Jury)

The Whisky Jury has just released its second and third bottling. We’ll start with this Caol Ila 35 Years, distilled in 1983.

Premium expressions like this will have a black label and a wooden box.

Caol Ila 35 yo 1983 (50,3%, The Whisky Jury 2019, refill hogshead #75, 90 btl.)

Nose: understated elegance and great complexity. Mentholated notes, waxed paper, wool, gentle herbal liqueurs, library dust. Not much smoke, this is all about refinement. Old leather jackets, paraffin, limestone. An endless array of aromas, you can smell this for hours and still discover something new.

Mouth: impeccable. Sweet, saline and acrid. Quite punchy as well, with iodine, olives, sardines and moderate oaky notes. Kippers, hints of grapefruit, oily notes and pepper. Fades on a wee vegetal touch, maybe green tea.

Finish: long, mineral, on walnuts, kippers and herbal notes.

Caol Ila at this age and from this era are rarely a disappointment. So it was to be expected: this is excellent whisky. Refined but definitely not shy. Around € 330, which is a fair price. Available from a handful of retailers in Belgium, Holland and Asia.

Score: 91/100