Adelphi Selection Caol Ila 12 Year Old (2009)
And so continues the tour of Islay! It’s been more and more exciting with each pour.
Today is my first (second? maybe…) tasting of Caol Ila, a distillery synonymous and eponymous with Islay and might still be overlooked in favor of bigger names like Ardbeg or Laphroaig. Even Lagavulin, Caol Ila’s sister distillery, has bigger name recognition. Located on Islay’s northern peninsula, just across the strait from the Isle of Jura, Caol Ila is named for the Isle itself - pronounced cuhl-eelah, the name is Gaelic for Sound of Islay (say it out loud, too - Islay is pronounced eye-luh, a short Anglicized drive from the Gaelic).
The most surprising thing: Caol Ila is the biggest distiller by volume on Islay. As part of Diageo, its distillate goes into blends such as Chivas Regal. In fact, almost 90% of its distillate goes into blends, leaving only about 10% to spread between its own bottlings and independent bottlers. It reminds me of Linkwood in some ways, though Linkwood’s percentage-to-blend is even higher. Caol Ila’s overall production is nearly twice the next distillery on Islay (Laphroaig) and thirteen times that of the smallest, Kilchoman.
Maybe I’m overblowing the name recognition thing, but I’m coming at it from someone who never enjoyed Islay whiskies and thus wasn’t that familiar with any but the biggest names. I had heard of Caol Ila in passing, but it was so flippantly mentioned I honestly thought it was closed, another piece of distilling history lost to time. As the fourth distillery on Islay - founded in 1846 thirty years after Lagavulin, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin - it didn’t have that “first wave” name recognition.
Not that I want to get Caol Ila’s name out there after trying this pick (in a good way, not bad…continue reading) but it should be more respected and more talked about. It’s so damn good. Again - I’m not someone who is in love with Islay yet, and so the profiles and differences between them are significant to me. I’m liking Bruichladdich a lot, but in many ways that’s not the typical Islay. I liked Laphroaig’s Cairdeas PX finish from 2021, but it took a serious sherry bomb to cover the band-aid/medicinal flavors. Bowmore’s ashiness needed the same sherry cover, though in that case oloroso was sufficient and I didn’t need PX’s sweetness. Ardbeg’s 10 year old was fine, leaning more towards charcoal and citrus and away from the medicinal iodine.
Those are really the entirety of my Islay experience so far. Bruichladdich’s non-peated offerings are fantastic, and the Port Charlotte (and other peated) releases from them are equally good, showcasing the smoke and peat without anything that turns my nose away. Ardbeg, Bowmore, and Laphroaig all had their profiles, but none grabbed me as a pay-attention-to distillery. Caol Ila might be the next Bruichladdich on my Islay journey, if you can forgive the anachronism.
Oh, and about Adelphi Selection - Adelphi is one of my favorite independent bottlers. I truly have not had a bad bottle from them. Adelphi started out as a distillery in 1826 and hosted Andrew Usher, considered the father of blending in Scotch whisky. At one point they were producing vast quantities of whisky, but all the history and accomplishment was undone by a fatal accident, the Great Gorbals Disaster, when one of the washbacks collapsed, flooding the nearby street and killing at least one person. For one reason or another, Adelphi Distillery wasn’t able to continue at the same level after that. The dual punches of Prohibition and World War II dealt near-fatal blows. Finally, in 1971, the original Loch Katrine Adelphi Distillery was demolished, ending the distilling history of Adelphi for the next 50 years.
Twenty years later, in 1993, the Adelphi name was brought out of hibernation and re-established as an independent bottler. Over the next twenty years, Adelphi goes from a small independent bottler to one of the highest-rated and most well-respected names in the game - but the idea of reviving a distillery was never far from the family’s mind. In 2013, the Ardnamurchan Distillery was founded, with a formal opening by HRH The Princess Royal in 2014.
I have not yet tried Ardnamurchan (I have a sample that will be tried soon!) but I doubt it will be sub-par. Adelphi has shown over and over how it can revive itself and produce excellent whisky, whether its own or as an independent bottler.
*Thank you to ImpEx for providing a sample for this review with no strings attached.
Adelphi Selection Caol Ila 12 Year Old (2009) Whisky: Specs
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Number: 309451 (645 Bottles)
Origin: Caol Ila Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 106 (53% ABV)
Age: 12 Years Old
Location: Scotland
Adelphi Selection Caol Ila 12 Year Old (2009) Whisky Price: $115
Adelphi Selection Caol Ila 12 Year Old (2009) Whisky Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Wet cherrywood, crystal clear garnet.
Nose: Meaty woodsmoke, slathered in barbecue sauce that drips onto the coals. God damn. Heady proof, dark fruit being grilled on charcoal. Pulled pork and juicy ribs. I want to eat this nose. Tropical fruits open after some air.
Palate: Keeps the nose going - meaty and fatty, but adding in more red and tropical fruits, like a pineapple and nectarine slaw. Not too heavy, just the right level of proof, with no medicinal notes. Meal-worthy smokeshow. Coffee-dusted game meats. Mouthfeel is subtly coating, silky and not hot at all while being super satisfying.
Finish: Peppery and fruity first, meaty and smoky after. The sherry and smoke are just beautiful on a long, long finish.
Overall: Wow - this is a whisky I want to eat while drinking another pour of it on the side. The sherry is perfectly balanced by the almost greasy meatiness of the smoke and malt. Will buy if I get the chance.
Final Rating: 8.2
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
More Independent Bottler Reviews
