B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
"If you’re a Caol Ila fan, you can add this one to your list of favorite expressions, as it offers up everything you’re looking for from the Islay legend, in unique yet familiar fashion." - Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer
We've been sourcing some outstanding independent bottlings lately, and a few of the most impressive offerings have come from Single Malts of Scotland's Reserve Casks line. The SMoS bottlings are always expertly selected and blended, so you know you're getting the heart and soul of a distillery with all the singular character that makes these limited expressions so special. Few Islay distilleries have such a loyal and avid fanbase as Caol Ila, so whenever we select something from the IB market, we make sure it's Caol Ila through and through.
This six-hogshead 12 Year Old from SMoS boasts all the hallmark Caol Ila peat character, refined yet intense, providing "a fine foundation for high-toned notes of salt spray, lemon confit, wet stones, and tropical fruit." The complexity in this bottling is sure to make Islay fans swoon, as the peat is never far from the surface, but it plays so nicely with all the other nuances that you'll find yourself just nosing the glass for a while before you even take your first sip. In fact, it's such a wild ride that you'll probably go back again and again to the empty glass just to see what comes out later. With IB bottlings of Caol Ila creeping ever higher in price, this is a true steal at under $100. |