Caol Ila 1983 (SV cask #5294 for TWE)

We continue our reviews of some Whisky Exchange exclusives from The Whisky Show. Today Caol Ila 1983 selected from the Signatory stocks.

Caol Ila 31 yo 1983 (48,1%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange 2015, hogshead #5294, 255 btl.)

Nose: gentle and rather fruity with some subtle baked banana up front. Maybe mango, then some mint and vanilla cream. Hints of cod oil and salted butter. Wet gravel. Lots of leathery notes and library dust as well. Very refined and sophisticated, by no means a huge Islay whisky even by Coal Ila standards.

Mouth: sweet onset, but quickly becoming more coastal and more camphory than the nose suggested. After that it starts going in different directions. There’s something vegetal / animal about it, but also something fragrant (peppercorn). Hints of herbal liqueurs, kippers, olive oil. Rather umami… I don’t know.

Finish: long, smoky, with a vague sweetness, chamomile tea and hints of black olives.

Excellent nose. A few uncommon touches on the palate make it drop just below 90 points, while others from the same era are often a little more to my liking. Around € 340, available here.

Score: 89/100