Review: Caol Ila 30 Years Old Limited Edition 2014

Review: Caol Ila 30 Years Old Limited Edition 2014

Coal Ila 30YO Bottle

Yesterday we experienced Caol Ila’s unpeated expression; today it’s the full monty, and bottled at a full 30 years of age — the oldest Caol Ila ever released by the distillery itself. #4 in the 2014 Diageo Special Releases is a peat bomb straight outta Islay, distilled in 1983.

After 20 years or so, peated whiskies tend to settle down, and this Caol Ila is no exception. The nose offers notes of sweet citrus, mesquite smoke, and dense toffee. The body continues the theme, with gentle smokiness settling over notes of rum raisin, quince, licorice, and bitter roots. When the smoke settles, it leaves behind a bittersweet character that is paradoxically at once racy and soothing, a maritime whisky that is starting to feel its age — and I mean that in a delightful way.

110.2 proof. 7,638 bottles produced.

A- / $700 / malts.com

Caol Ila 30 Years Old Limited Edition 2014

$700
9

Rating

9.0/10

Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. A veteran writer and journalist, he also operates Null Media, a bespoke content creation company.

3 Comments

  1. Thorsten on March 9, 2015 at 4:24 am

    I blog frequently and I genuinely thank you for your content.
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  2. Jeff on March 10, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I can’t believe Caol Ila put out a 30yr….and that is less than $1k.

    I absolutely love old Islay malts.

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