Caol Ila 1983 30 YO Special Release
Caol Ila 1983 30 YO Special Release, 55,1 %
Last Saturday I gave you my opinion on the Caol Ila Young & Feisty from Douglas Laing, which is an affordable whisky.
Well, today the time has come to a much less affordable Caol Ila, unfortunately. I am talking about the 30 YO Special Release from Diageo. This one was distilled in 1983 and bottled in 2014. I have tasted from bottle number 0343 of 7638.
The whisky is still available in Norway at NOK 3490 (item number 1896801). It is not available in Sweden.
Nose (24/25): The maritime associations arrive at once. Licorice, soft smoke, salt, a subtle sweetness, and fudge. Delicate and with some kind of dark and heavy fruitiness. A hint of dust. Nice to sniff on this one! Rich and complex.
Taste (24/25): Really rich and lovely taste. Fruit, licorice, citrus, pepper and salt. The smoke is more heavy on the palate than on the nose, but still round and gentle. Some ashes make it a bit chewy.
Finish (22/25): A nice and warm finish. Ash and smoke dominated, and then some salt, pepper and licorice. To me it did not last long enough to get a higher score.
Balance (23/25): A well-balanced and rich whisky. Really nice. I have had three drams of it so far. During the first one just before Christmas I did nothing but enjoy it. The second time, last Friday, it was part of a tasting with other smoky whiskies. I enjoyed it, wrote down my tasting notes and set my score to 90. The third time, last Saturday it was my first dram of the day. The result was a higher score. Wow, it was really a rich, complex and amazing whisky, almost as good as Caol Ila 1984 29 YO Cadenhead's Small Batch!
Score (93/100)
This is the most expensive whisky I have ever bought (my husband is more experienced when it comes to pricy whiskies...). And I have always said that no whisky is worth this amount of money. I hoped this one would prove me wrong, but it did not. According to my whisky list there are quite a few whiskies with the same or a higher score, and at a much more reasonable price. But it was great fun to try it! Now I know I can rather spend my money on a new Wolford Dress than an expensive whisky :) What a great discovery!
- Tone