🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

What a nose. Lovely and complex. I could stay hours on this kind of nose. Palate is just slightly below but let's not hide our pleasure. This is an excellent old Caol Ila.

Wow, it doesn't get much better than that. Simply awesome in all categories. Fantastic finish.

Extremely salivating, slightly salty and oily.

What a dram and yes, I was not expecting this! Yes 40y Caol Ila puts the expectation high but what you finally get is (at least for me) best in class old Islay whisky. Nose: wet grass, hay, lemon, ash, caramelized pineapple but more smoke than fruit Palate: incredible juicy! pineapple again, incredible balance between decent smoke and fruit - now you have much more fruit than smoke. Finish: unforgettable - I could cry .. this is so delicious and ashy pineapple lasts forever but unfortunately unfordable to be a dram that you enjoy more than 1x

One of the best whiskys I've drunk so far. Bourbon power amplifier. More is not possible here. Wow. The texture of the whisky alone is a poem. Very creamy mouthfeel with the subtle smoke in the background and the fruit salad in the foreground. The finish lasts forever. A real diamond! It's great that there is still something like this this year ... Price / performance is absolutely justified in this case. Chapeau Malts of Scotland!

Quite complex, powerful, fruity and good smokiness - very good

With a little water this is so nice, it is sweet, creamy and has a nice white fruit and soft peat combo. Lovely stuff

top1 caol ila I have ever drunk.

As good as a PE

Just a big WOW! I have tasted 400+ Whiskys over the last years (I think this is not much in comparison to some other people :D) and THIS is the best i ever had. It is just fantastic! It is likely to be the perfect Whisky for me! It is a typical tropical Caol Ila, perfectly balanced. Not overwhelming regarding the age. The worst point is that i only got a sample and not a full bottle.

Give this Caol Ila time and a little bit of water. It will turn into something wonderful.

Mineral and herbal, some peat on the nose that becomes really muted and delicate on the palate, yellow fruits and a bit of tropical fruits, herbs, very refined, excellent

A very fruity and slightly herbal taste. Only light smoke and sweetness. Long finish and simply one of the best Caol Ila I´ve ever had.

N: cold ash, campfire smoke, still slightly smoldering, surprisingly smoky after 40 years, also floral scent. G: light and smoky, powerful and intense, malty, not a trace too alcoholic, slightly salty, as if you were standing in front of the distillery on the coast. A: The smoke hovers over everything, where is it still getting that sweet smokiness from? A pleasing saltiness remains.

Powerful, harmonious, full, deep and aged. Deep warm smoke, salted caramel and dried fruit.

I had it blind in the glass and was immediately impressed by the nose. The association "Port Ellen" - and PE of the very good kind - immediately came to mind. In terms of taste, the Caol Ila also has the same depth and complexity that many PEs from the 70s have and got 93 points from me. Top!

Simply a wonderfully mature bourbon Islay. Nicely integrated smoke, old bottle flavor and endlessly long. For me almost the end of the flagpole

On the nose, sweet, vanilla-citrus, sometimes a bit of peat (in fact, the only moment when you can feel it). On the tongue, sweet, fruity, slightly salty at the beginning, then honey. Long finish, first fruity, nutty, then bitter, even a bit like you crack the peach pit, but it disappears and the aftertaste of wax and honey remains.

Nose: Mango, papaya, honey, Ricola herb candy, lemon balm surrounded by very fine smoke Mouth: Velvety soft, significantly more smoke, Turkish delight, very sweet but you can also tell the age, the oak is beautiful without killing you. Alcohol is perfectly integrated, almost mild. Umami, meaty and stimulates saliva. Finish: some burnt banana bread and espresso. Long, warm and wonderfully ending. A real diamond for me! 92+

Nose: Multi-layered, full of fruit flavors such as mango, papaya, tangerine. Licorice, old leather. A dying campfire, extinguished with sea water. Sage and freshly grated lemon balm. Incense sticks / frankincense. Some walnut oil. Mouth: 80s Caol Ila Bourbon barrel as it is in the book. Full of fruit aromas, with citrus and apples, green, sour and sweet red. Exotic fruits glazed with orange blossom honey. The wood is subtle, only slightly bitter notes in the background that weave into the sweetness (like chewing liquorice for a long time). Full mouthfeel, oily, never watery. Finish: Very long. Here you can tell the age and it gets a bit bitter, bitter. The sweet notes remain subliminally present. 94/100 Conclusion: Fantastic Caol Ila, not a bit "tired". Wonderful fruit and sweetness and the citrus fruits, the smoke is present but not intrusive. The fact that these notes, which can also be found in young bottlings, are so beautifully present, makes it appear fresh to its maturity. This whisky is once again a level above the many great 80s Caol Ila from the Bourbon barrel that Cadenhead or Wemyss has brought out in recent years (which are already in a high league!) I am eagerly waiting to try these 80s to 84 vintages when they are 50 years old, to see whether they can still keep this youth at that age.

An extremely tasty CI.

The best Caol Ila I've tasted so far

A very appealing fruit basket. Maritime, sea air, but no peat. Very harmonious and well-rounded. Not a stunner, but elegant. 91-100 – Whisky heaven, best stuff

A very elegant and great malt, a Caol Ila of this age is rarely found, so the price of 799 euros fits. Despite the age, there are no negative wood marks - one would certainly not come up with a CI blindly.

Best Caol Ila Ive tried so far. Doesnt get better than this. Truly exeptional.

Really interesting exotic fruitiness with rotting pineapples and a lot of citrus. After nearly 40 years the peat retains its strength. Very good.

The description of Dottore hits it very well! A pearl that you have to deal with, only then does it open up the whole variety of flavors and complexity.

Best Caol Ila I tasted so far! Great bourbon cask maturation, punchy yet complex style and amazing, Endless finish. Another spectacular MOS bottling!

Wow, it doesn't get much better than that. Great dense variety of aromas with beautiful tropical fruit notes. Despite the old age, there is no lack of power and smoke.

Nose: fully aromatic (but something like that...), maritime-mineral, smoldering coals in the oven covered with ash, licorice, herbal sweets, mango, pineapple, lime, some leather Palate: full, mineral, maritime, licorice, mango, pineapple, lime, coals covered with ash in a cold oven, some leather and herbal sweets Finish: medium to long, maritime, mineral, smoky (coals with ash), licorice, a hint of lime and leather Rating: mega part: at the same time complex, delicate and fully present. The flavors play harmoniously with each other, creating a common ensemble that is simply fun. Maritime, mineral, smoky (those ashy coals), fruity (tropical fruits), sweet (licorice) and a hint of leather. Just beautiful. 98/100 (perhaps one day in the future I'll find out why I should get two more points) or 10/10

Price at release: ~800€ Caol Ila bottlings from the late 70s and early 80s tend to mature really good. There were some excellent bottlings from Cadenhead and Wemyss in the past few years. But this one is actually even better than those already excellent bottlings. Is it because it has matured for 40 years now? I would say no, my guess is that this is just an exceptional good cask in a line of already great casks. It has this early 80s Islay style, that you find in Port Ellen or Caol Ila bottlings from that era. And it comes very close to perfection.

Simply amazing. Best Caol Ila I've ever had. Creamy mouth feel. Tropical fruits, mango, guava, some pineapple, and citrus all mixed in very nicely with that peaty smoke. A little salty as it lingers. Long finish and the fruits pop back up again. Superbly balanced. Fantastic!

Nose: fully aromatic (but something like that...), maritime-mineral, smoldering coals in the oven covered with ash, licorice, herbal sweets, mango, pineapple, lime, some leather Palate: full, mineral, maritime, licorice, mango, pineapple, lime, coals covered with ash in a cold oven, some leather and herbal sweets Finish: medium to long, maritime, mineral, smoky (coals with ash), licorice, a hint of lime and leather Rating: mega part: at the same time complex, delicate and fully present. The flavors play harmoniously with each other, creating a common ensemble that is simply fun. Maritime, mineral, smoky (those ashy coals), fruity (tropical fruits), sweet (licorice) and a hint of leather. Just beautiful. 98/100 (perhaps one day in the future I'll find out why I should get two more points) or 10/10

A superb whisky that has more than earned its reputation. Complex, elegant, balanced and incredibly delicious.

Multi-layered, harmonious with very good intensity.