Caol Ila 2004 Hermitage G&M & 1991 Cooper's Choice Reviews

Hi everyone,

We’ve got some Caol Ila today. It’s the largest distillery on Islay, pumping out the good stuff for them to cram into Johnnie Walker. But sometimes there’s too much of it, or they don’t need it, or it doesn’t fit into the flavour profile or a company has filling contracts for it.

So they sell it. Quite a bit of it actually, because they can afford to and because they can. So if you see a mystery Islay, there normally isn’t a huge amount of mystery behind it and its Caol Ila. And remember, Caol Ila is hugely versatile and can taste like Laphroaig or Lagavulin if it wants to. So, some sneaky people imply that it’s a more prestigious distillery but most industry insiders know exactly what it is…

These aren’t those mystery’s though. Nope. These are clearly labelled and deliciously matured by two good indie bottlers that seem to know what they’re doing.

Caol Ila 2004 Hermitage Finish 45%

Colour: Redish Amber

Body: Medium

Nose: Memories of the Ledaig Hermitage but less intense, funky, meaty smoke, herbal notes and creamy raspberry.

Taste: Soft, sweet, little smoke but red berries, cranberry, some herbal notes in there, the red wine has really softened it actually. Some peppery spice.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Very little here, small berries, a little more smoke than the palate.

3 year Hermitage finish was perhaps a little too long? Not enough to Caol Ila to it and the wine has really shot the finish.

70/100

 

Caol Ila 1991 Cooper's Choice 46%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Old Laphroaig, tropical fruit and dusty peat with sooty undertones, mango and lemon, quite soft, there's a little biscuit. Quite quiet as old Caol Ila often is at first. Some more maritime notes as it opens up with dried seaweed and more oak then also floral notes.

Taste: Soft and textured, lovely oily malt, lemon and some pineapple, then cinnamon, very old Laphroaig-like, sooty, nice strength, excellent balance. Florals underneath with dry oak, Parma Violets, almost old Bowmore like as it develops.

Finish: Long length. Lots of soot, much more earthy with creamy heather and some slight medicinal notes.

Refill butt, bottled 2016 at 25yo. Wonderful example of older Caol Ila and, as I said, when it wants to, Caol Ila can taste like any of the other Islay distilleries.

82/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #709-#710

Whisky Network Reviews #846-#847

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Strathmill 1991 C&S Dram & 1990 Dimensions Reviews

Hi everyone,

I had met Andrea Caminneci when I was in Frankfurt late last year for another festival. Little did I know, he had his own independent bottler: C&S Drams. You aren’t likely to see them outside of Germany but I was recommended to try this one and I’m always interested by Strathmill. Definitely not a distillery you see often and quite and interesting and undervalued one too.

 

Strathmill 1991 C&S Dram 46.4%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: A very nice musky barrel, soft vanilla, dry oak, a little clean ethanol (the purifiers talking I think), crystallised honey, light florals and wax. A little Clynelish-like.

Taste: Soft, vanilla, juicy golden raisin and green apple, then nice earthy heathery malt and chocolate, dry oak and a little spice into the finish.

Finish: Long length. Very nice soft finish, heather, malt, milk chocolate.

26yo from a Bourbon barrel. Very fresh for 26 years but with complexity.

80/100

Hold on a minute… I’ve found an old review of a Strathmill that I’d totally forgotten! This was the one that tipped me off to Strathmill being a distillery making some great whisky.

Strathmill 1990 Dimensions Duncan Taylor 55%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Sweet complex honey- Honeycomb and honeysuckle, caramelised brown sugar, huge sherry sweetness. Strongly brewed tea, clove, menthol, melted butter, oily, spice and fruit- Red apple, raisin, date, fig, molasses, spiced rum, beeswax.

Taste: Well behaved for 55%. Sweet and smooth. Lots of honey, brown sugar, waxy, very waxy actually, lots of spice- Cinnamon, ginger and pepper, clove, butter, olive oil, orange and dark chocolate.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Waxy with spice and an ash hit.

Distilled 1990, bottled 2011. 21yo from a Sherry butt. Heavy and rich. Lovely with a drop of water too, more creamy and chocolatey. Great stuff, wish I’d bought a bottle at the time but I was fairly new to whisky then.

83/100

Distillery: Strathmill

Average Score: 78.8

Distillery Ranking: 14th/ 63 places

Up/Down: N/a

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #637-#638

Whisky Network Review #757-#758

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Mars 1988 & Yoichi 1991 Single Cask Reviews

Hi everyone,

Some rare Japanese whisky today from Mars and Yoichi.

Mars in particular I was keen to try, as the distillery closed for a long time and has only been producing again for the last few years. I had heard legendary things about the old stuff.

In the end, it turned out the other way round. The 3yo single cask I tried a while ago was way better than this one.

Mars 1988 Single Cask 46%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Very impressive. Complex floral, perfumed and sweet. Car sweets, orange and Turkish delight.

Taste: Very soft, silky, delicate, orange car sweets then more perfumed and floral with a soapy note. In the end it’s a bit like drinking washing up liquid.

Finish: Long length. Soapy and more than a little off. Car sweets, washing up liquid and a little oak.

Bottled 2013. I was excited about this one but very disappointing, particularly seeing the usual prices for these bottles are in the hundreds.

71/100

 

Yoichi- Nikka 1991 Single Cask 63%

Colour: Light Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Balanced and complex. Very nice amount of sweetness and smokiness, a very delicious Unami note like bacon, maple syrup and pancakes. Toffee popcorn.

Taste: Stunning arrival, dry mid-palate with lots of oak, spices and sweetness, orange, chewy sweets, then ashy smoke and bacon. Pretty delicious stuff.

Finish: Medium length. More Unami bacon and woody maple syrup.

Those Japanese... when they get it right, they get it very right. No water needed here. A little too dry maybe but bloody delicious.

88/100

Distilleries: Mars/Yoichi

Average Scores: 80/80.5

Distillery Rankings: 10th/11th of 64 places

Up/Down: Mars down 3>11 (9 places)

Thanks for reading!

Japanese Reviews #19-#20

Whisky Network Reviews #726-#727

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Bowmore Bicentenary (A very special) Review

Hi everyone,

I was tempted to just open with: ’There’s whisky, and then there’s whisky.’ But that’s oversimplifying an issue that I’ve raised before, Dave Broom raised recently and the honourable Whisky Sponge made his yearly serious post about.

Whisky has changed, is changing and is going to change. There are some fantastic modern whiskies, and, equally, I’m sure there are some atrocious older ones. And the war of words over ‘whisky’s golden age’ and ‘rose-tinted glasses’ continues, with perhaps no better example than Bowmore.

So here’s a modern, and brand new example to warm us up before the big event:

 

Bowmore 1991 Carn Mor Chairman's Legacy 42.9%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Tropical, ashy old Bowmore, pineapple, mango, could be an old Laphroaig! Complex candied lemon, burnt down building. Lovely nose!

Taste: Soft, ashy, very delicate then builds wonderfully! So tropical! So awesome! So complex! Balance is SPOT ON! Smoke still hanging in, perfect oak.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Tropical flavours continue then more ash with very good quality oak.

Bottled 2017 at 26 (the perfect age for Bowmore of course). Bloody good, oh so close to 90. In fact the best Bowmore I’ve had since the famous 1987 Wemyss. I wasn't expecting huge things from this (partly because of the low strength), so it was a great surprise. Rewards large sips. High price of course, at just under £300.

89/100

Bowmore, Bowmore, Bowmore… Oh what happened to you?

What did they do so that your tropical fruit never shined again?

What distillation regime did they afflict you with so that your oils fell away at the drop of a hat?

Was the yeast strain the final arrow to your Achilles’ Heel?

Or was it the barley type that struck you unawares?

Oh Bowmore, you shall never be the same again!

Bowmore Bicentenary 1779-1979 43%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Intoxicating and heady. Compelling is the word. Really very complex, old tropical fruit, this firm old oak and cold damp dunnage like the vaults at Bowmore, ashy, orange and lemon. Balance and complexity with layers. Homemade old limoncello. Old oils, old cupboards, old leather.

Taste: Intense! Smoke, ash, fruity, Seville orange marmalade and candied lemon, pineapple and mango, complex and oily, car motor oil?, so soft and yet powerful, keeps going and going, developing endlessly in the mouth.

Finish: Medium length. Some juicy red apple and then the emotions build. Hits you right in the feels. Old homemade limoncello. Beautiful finish. Goosebumps.

Actually I don’t know if it’s the longest finish ever, or just Medium length. Because even as the flavours ebb away, the Goosebumps stay and stay.

What the hell happened Bowmore? You were making the best whisky in the world!! 94.14 on whiskybase version, with the big black box (for your reference as there are several versions). This was distilled between 1950 and 1966, probably all floor malted too. Originally I wrote 93, but realised that the other whiskies I’d given 93 I hesitated. No hesitation here. This stuff is legendary.

94/100

Distillery: Bowmore

Average Score: 78.6

Distillery Ranking: 16th/64 places

Up/Down: 22>16 (Up 6)

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #600-#601

Whisky Network Reviews #712-#713

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Caol Ila Cask Strength & 1991 Signatory Reviews (Bottled 2007)

Hi everyone,

Back in my favourite whisky bar in Chamonix, France (it’s the only whisky bar in Chamonix, France) I thought I’d have a crack at that rare 1970 Bruichladdich up on the top shelf. But then I remembered that I brought my wife and she wouldn’t let me blow 50 euros on one shot of whisky. (it was a double! Come on.)

So the cheap stuff it was for me. Luckily they had some other really interesting stuff and I ended up trying these Caol Ila’s, only realising afterwards that they were released the same year.

Caol Ila 1991 Signatory 46%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium

Nose: Quite light on the smoke, more maritime and oily, and pretty complex, quite savoury tobacco, wet leather, beach campfire, some cigar smoke, neoprene wetsuit. Then a little fresh melon with time. Smells much older than its 16 years.

Taste: Soft start, lacking a bit of power then very salty with some sour lemon juice, green apple and smoky minerality, spices then coming in with some ginger and a little light pepper but not as complex as the nose suggested.

Finish: Medium/Long length. A little zesty with nice spice, paprika and lemon.

From Hogsheads, bottled back in 2007 at 16 years old. Great great nose, taste and finish don't follow up unfortunately.

76/100

 

Caol Ila Cask Strength 59.6%

Colour: Straw

Body: Full

Nose: Intense! Seriously smoky, creamy, medicinal and mineral. Elements of lots of Islay distilleries in here actually but Kilchoman comes to mind the most. Calpol cough syrup like some Laphroaig's, seashells.

Water: Ooo some meaty notes emerge, Gingseng tea, earthy, more ethereal though.

Taste: Soft start for the abv, then very very mineral like a big Kilchoman, salty and maritime, intensely smoky, slightly medicinal and creamy, oily lemon, some wool weirdly then more perfumed but still powerful smoke and lemon citrus. A little spicy with some ginger into the finish.

Water: Softer, more salty, then more spicy with ginger and hot white pepper which unbalances it.

Finish: Long length. Intense initially with mineral, lemon, some ginger snaps and a little white pepper.

No bottling code but Whiskybase tells me bottled 2007. Potent stuff with much more smoke than expected from a Caol Ila, not young either despite the NAS. And despite the strength, it doesn't improve with water I'd say. A great find at the back of the shelf.

79/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #571-#572

Whisky Network Reviews #676-#677

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 93

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Blair Athol 1991 Carn Mor Review

Hi everyone,

I’ve always enjoyed the stuff I’ve tried from Blair Athol, although that’s really only independent bottlings because the only official is the flora & fauna (which I’m not such a big fan of) and the recent special releases which was a ridiculous price.

Luckily there are plenty of indies and I do recommend you seek them out. They tend to be at an ok price because Blair Athol isn’t that well known but the distillery character seems to be quite complex and malty.

This one in particular I tried recently at Inter. Whisky Frankfurt and is the oldest Blair Athol I’ve tried so far.

 

Blair Athol 1991 Carn Mor 52.7%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Medicinal, malty, fruity, dry, oaky, cherry lip gloss, orange peel, herbal, fresh mint, oats and porridge, green leaf, lemon peel, green banana. Complex nose with lots going on and some pretty unique combos going on.

Taste: Soft and intense, loads of malt, vanilla, juicy pear, soft oak, sour grape, orange, orange peel, fresh mint, paprika, some green banana.

Finish: Long length. Malty, soft chocolate and some heather. Not so complex as the rest here but nice.

26 years old, from 1991 to 2017. Quite complex and unusual, I’m not sure if that’s the spirit talking or the cask but I like it. The price on this Carn Mor is a bit higher though compared to others like Signatory.

79/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #560

Whisky Network Review #663

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 93

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

3x Old Bowmore Reviews: 1994, 1991 & 1989 [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Today I’ve got some older Bowmore’s.

Bowmore is a variable distillery from the indie’s. The 1980’s being the classic example, but the style can change hugely. This trio exemplify this pretty perfectly.

I tried the 1991 at Whisky Live Paris recently, although I can’t remember the name of the bottler. The other two were from Whisky Exchange Show in London.

Bowmore 1991 Butterfly Label 48.7%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Does Bowmore get MORE peaty as it ages?! Very peaty and mineral, sooty chimney, coal, tar, none of the floral notes I was expecting.

Taste: Sweet start, vanilla, honey, then very peaty for old Bowmore, layers of minerality. Sooty with a little orange.

Finish: Long length. Dry, sooty, some oak. A little tropical fruit right at the end. Mango.

25yo, bottled 2017. An old peaty one but not hugely complex. Seems like the peat is covering up the flavours beneath.

79/100

 

Bowmore 1989 'BBQ Mango Salsa' 46%

Colour: Dark Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Slightly rubbery maltiness, cigarette ash, lots of lemon sponge cake.

Taste: Sweet, malt, orange, spicy ginger, Bowmore's malty smoke, lemon then sooty.

Finish: Long length. Smoke kicks up a notch with more soot and slight florals.

Think this was 26 years old. Not nearly as complex or balanced the 87 Wemyss I had, that you might remember got 92.

78/100

 

Bowmore 1994 Single malts of Scotland 52.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: An oily, buttery SMWS style, meaty for a Bowmore, also slightly tropical, BBQ and mango. Lovely nose. Slightly Ardbeggian.

Taste: Sweet, tropical, meaty, BBQ ham, pineapple, slightly chalky. A bit of chilli too.

Finish: Medium length. A little spice, oak and chilli.

A really good Bowmore, quite a different style to usual.

83/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #465-#467

Whisky Network Reviews #530-#532

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?