Caol Ila 12 Years
This Malt shimmers clear and whitegold. Tingly fresh aromas of sea salt transit to smoky turf of the island. Without a doubt an Island-Malt, even with the sweetness in the beginning. Pleasant, with a punch.
This Malt shimmers clear and whitegold. Tingly fresh aromas of sea salt transit to smoky turf of the island. Without a doubt an Island-Malt, even with the sweetness in the beginning. Pleasant, with a punch.
| Average tasting notes Tasting Notes |
Calculated from 21
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Nosing
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Maritime Notes:
Fruit:
Medicinal Smoke:
Zitrus:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Salt:
Nuts:
Ham:
Lemon:
Herbs:
Almonds:
Iodine:
Oil:
Alcohol:
Malt:
Caramel:
Oak:
Orange:
Spices:
Vanilla:
Apple:
Chili:
Heather:
Honey:
Mint:
Pear:
Banana:
Fig:
Floral:
Grapefruit:
Grass:
Hay:
Leather:
Lime:
Sherry:
Herb:
Tasting
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Maritime Notes:
Salt:
Spices:
Fruit:
Oak:
Nuts:
Oil:
Seaweed:
Medicinal Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Malt:
Zitrus:
Alcohol:
Vanilla:
Chili:
Pepper:
Herbs:
Ham:
Chocolate:
Honey:
Apple:
Caramel:
Grass:
Heather:
Iodine:
Orange:
Pineapple:
Herb:
Almonds:
Cheese:
Coffee:
Dried Fruit:
Grape:
Grapefruit:
Green Apple:
Hay:
Leather:
Lemon:
Lime:
Melon:
Mint:
Plum:
Sherry:
Finish
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Malt:
Maritime Notes:
Spices:
Seaweed:
Oak:
Fruit:
Salt:
Nuts:
Oil:
Medicinal Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Chili:
Pepper:
Alcohol:
Chocolate:
Herbs:
Zitrus:
Herb:
Anise:
Barley:
Caramel:
Coffee:
Dark Chocolate:
Grapefruit:
Heather:
Leather:
Mint:
Plum:
Vanilla:
Wheat:
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Quality rating of this bottle
3.8
Rate
373
21
Quality comparison of bottles
i
All tasting notes
28. Jul 2015
Nose:
Smoke, medicinal, citrus note, lime note
Taste:
Sweet, peatsmoke, medicinal note phenol
Finish:
Medium
Smoke, medicinal, citrus note, lime note
Taste:
Sweet, peatsmoke, medicinal note phenol
Finish:
Medium
27. Apr 2015
Nosing:
Subdued, citric fruitiness; a whiff of bath oil and dentist's mouthwash. A fresh and appetising nose, with little or no trace of smoke. A little water raises almond oil and old-fashioned oilskins; still a fresh fruitiness (lychees?), a trace of olive oil, and after a while pot pourri or scented hand-soap.
Taste:
Drinks well at natural strength; sweet start; pleasant, light fragrant smokiness and a lengthy finish. Smooth, pleasant mouth-feel; with water light acidity, some salt and still the sweeter notes. A complex balance of primary tastes.
Finish:
Sweet smokiness in the lingering, slightly sour finish.
Comment:
Subdued, citric fruitiness; a whiff of bath oil and dentist's mouthwash. A fresh and appetising nose, with little or no trace of smoke. A little water raises almond oil and old-fashioned oilskins; still a fresh fruitiness (lychees?), a trace of olive oil, and after a while pot pourri or scented hand-soap.
Taste:
Drinks well at natural strength; sweet start; pleasant, light fragrant smokiness and a lengthy finish. Smooth, pleasant mouth-feel; with water light acidity, some salt and still the sweeter notes. A complex balance of primary tastes.
Finish:
Sweet smokiness in the lingering, slightly sour finish.
Comment:
16. Jan 2021
Many moons ago, it was a dram of Caol Ila 12 that ignited my passion for whisky, and what a journey it has been. Time to revisit my old friend! On the nose, puffs of twiggy bonfire smoke give way to green apples, lemon and briny hints of seawater. Heather honey, black olives and peppery oak spices drive the full-bodied and oily taste, always accompanied by well-integrated sooty salinity. Citrus fruits, subtle vanilla and complex tea notes linger in the long and peaty finish. I'm biased, I know, but this characterful Islay malt is still overlooked and underrated!
RATING: 4.0/5.0 ≙ 87 pts
RATING: 4.0/5.0 ≙ 87 pts
05. Aug 2016
Nosing:
Taste:
Finish:
Comment: very oily medicinal, rough stuff
Taste:
Finish:
Comment: very oily medicinal, rough stuff
03. Apr 2016
Nosing:
The nose is peat/wood smoke and light antiseptic as well as grapefruit/citrus and slight saline/marine notes.
Taste:
Smoky and somewhat phenolic but also quite sweet compared to other Islay malts I've had. There's a salty tang that hits just before the finish.
Finish:
Medium length with lingering sweetness
Comment:
It can take a drop of water but not much.
Peated whiskies aren't generally my thing as far as preference goes, but the peat isn't so over the top as to put me off in the way that other bottles from Islay have in the past. The peat seems to be a bit more smoky than phenolic which I think does it for me.
The nose is peat/wood smoke and light antiseptic as well as grapefruit/citrus and slight saline/marine notes.
Taste:
Smoky and somewhat phenolic but also quite sweet compared to other Islay malts I've had. There's a salty tang that hits just before the finish.
Finish:
Medium length with lingering sweetness
Comment:
It can take a drop of water but not much.
Peated whiskies aren't generally my thing as far as preference goes, but the peat isn't so over the top as to put me off in the way that other bottles from Islay have in the past. The peat seems to be a bit more smoky than phenolic which I think does it for me.
12. Mar 2018
Nosing: 
Taste:
Finish:
Comment:
Taste:
Finish:
Comment:
02. Dec 2017
Nosing:
Taste:
Finish:
Comment:
daily 5star
Taste:
Finish:
Comment:
daily 5star
11. Mar 2019
Nosing: Peat, citruses, nuts, wood
Taste: oily, peat which is not overpowering, sour, a bit of wood
Finish: strong sweet-sour wood. I would say one of the best finish from what I have.
Comment: This whisky has very unique profile because of sourness which is very prominent. Also you can definitelly taste the peat, but it is not actually smoky. Very oily, the taste is very strong and mouthwatering. Finish is perfect, from which I can remind a little of JW black.
Taste: oily, peat which is not overpowering, sour, a bit of wood
Finish: strong sweet-sour wood. I would say one of the best finish from what I have.
Comment: This whisky has very unique profile because of sourness which is very prominent. Also you can definitelly taste the peat, but it is not actually smoky. Very oily, the taste is very strong and mouthwatering. Finish is perfect, from which I can remind a little of JW black.
16. Nov 2020
Nosing:
Taste:
Finish:
long linger
Comment:
It's very briny. This is the first time for me to find briny taste from samples. The impression is different from 43% ABV than expected. It's very smooth and mild , I can't catch the so much alcohol attack. But judging from other tasting experience, this is not so much one for my taste than Lagavulin.
Taste:
Finish:
long linger
Comment:
It's very briny. This is the first time for me to find briny taste from samples. The impression is different from 43% ABV than expected. It's very smooth and mild , I can't catch the so much alcohol attack. But judging from other tasting experience, this is not so much one for my taste than Lagavulin.
01. Dec 2017
Color: straw
Nose: freshness of the fruits: plums, grapes, apples. Smoke, vanilla, mint. Alcohol is perfectly hidden. The content of the smokiness is superbly balanced - the smoke doesn't dominate, but pleasantly works with the rest 23/25
Palate: black, aromatic coffee, bitter chocolate, smoke, orange peel, butterscotch 20/25
Finish: burned caramel, peat, muscovado, grapefriut, wood, leather, cotton candy, walnuts. A little bit short 20/25
Balance: the quantity of the peat smoke is definitely the strong side of this Whisky (about 20 PPM?). Just like by one of my very favorite Islay Malts (Bunnahabhain 12), the taste is almost completely different than the nose, but in this case (unlike the other one), the nose is much better. Besides, the alcoholic content doesn't dominate. Very well balanced, aromatic Whisky 23/25
Overall: 86/100
Highly recommended
...............Deutsch...............
Farbe: Getrockene Getreide
Nase: Frische der Früchte: Pflaumen, Weintrauben, Äpfel. Rauch, Vanille, Minze. Der Alkohol ist sehr gut versteckt. Der Inhalt des Rauchs ist perfekt ausbalanciert - der Rauch dominiert nicht. Er komponiert perfekt mit anderen Aromen 23/25
Körper: ein schwarzer, aromatischer Kaffee, bitter Schokolade, Rauch, Orangenschale, Karamell-Sahnesoße 20/25
Finish: ein dunkler Karamell, Torf, Muscovado, Grapefruit, Holz, Leder, Zuckerwatte, Walnüsse. Ein bisschen kurz 20/25
Balance: die Menge an Rauch ist definitiv die starke Seite des Whisky (Zirka 20PPM?). Genau wie im Fall eines meiner Lieblings Whiskys - Bunnahabhain 12, der Nase zeigt was ganz anderes als der Geschmack. Hier aber... die Nase ist viel besser. Außerdem, der Alkohol dominiert nicht. Gut balanciert, aromatischer Whisky 23/25
Generell: 86/100
Ich empfehle völlig
Nose: freshness of the fruits: plums, grapes, apples. Smoke, vanilla, mint. Alcohol is perfectly hidden. The content of the smokiness is superbly balanced - the smoke doesn't dominate, but pleasantly works with the rest 23/25
Palate: black, aromatic coffee, bitter chocolate, smoke, orange peel, butterscotch 20/25
Finish: burned caramel, peat, muscovado, grapefriut, wood, leather, cotton candy, walnuts. A little bit short 20/25
Balance: the quantity of the peat smoke is definitely the strong side of this Whisky (about 20 PPM?). Just like by one of my very favorite Islay Malts (Bunnahabhain 12), the taste is almost completely different than the nose, but in this case (unlike the other one), the nose is much better. Besides, the alcoholic content doesn't dominate. Very well balanced, aromatic Whisky 23/25
Overall: 86/100
Highly recommended
...............Deutsch...............
Farbe: Getrockene Getreide
Nase: Frische der Früchte: Pflaumen, Weintrauben, Äpfel. Rauch, Vanille, Minze. Der Alkohol ist sehr gut versteckt. Der Inhalt des Rauchs ist perfekt ausbalanciert - der Rauch dominiert nicht. Er komponiert perfekt mit anderen Aromen 23/25
Körper: ein schwarzer, aromatischer Kaffee, bitter Schokolade, Rauch, Orangenschale, Karamell-Sahnesoße 20/25
Finish: ein dunkler Karamell, Torf, Muscovado, Grapefruit, Holz, Leder, Zuckerwatte, Walnüsse. Ein bisschen kurz 20/25
Balance: die Menge an Rauch ist definitiv die starke Seite des Whisky (Zirka 20PPM?). Genau wie im Fall eines meiner Lieblings Whiskys - Bunnahabhain 12, der Nase zeigt was ganz anderes als der Geschmack. Hier aber... die Nase ist viel besser. Außerdem, der Alkohol dominiert nicht. Gut balanciert, aromatischer Whisky 23/25
Generell: 86/100
Ich empfehle völlig
