Caol Ila 9 year Old - Lady Of The Glen (2012 – 2021, caskn° 311196, Hogshead matured and finished in Xynisteri white Wine casks, 58.3% ABV, natural colour, UCF, 307 bottles)
Caol Ila can hardly be seen as an ‘off the radar’ Islay distillery – nor could any other in today’s whiskyverse for that matter. It is Islay’s biggest distillery by a landslide, with a capacity of some 6.5 million LPA. Therefore the 12yo official release is available pretty much everywhere, and a fairly big chunk of what is being produced goes in a number of Diageo’s blends the likes of Johnnie Walker (pick your colour), mainly because it’s very reliable and consistent in terms of flavour profile and quality, with enough to spare for any independent bottler that comes asking, it seems. Indeed, when it comes to Caol Ila, not only is there no such thing as a shortage, it seems you would need to put in a decent amount of effort to bugger one up. So, why did I pick a Caol Ila for this series, an independent one at that?
Well, it’s all to do with the statement on the label: “…matured in a HHD for over 7 years. Finished in a Xynisteri White and Dry Wine Cask from a vineyard found at altitude in Cyprus…” When I bought this, it triggered me and led me to ask people working in whisky where we are today when it comes to casks and maturation, 2 years after the SWA loosened the reigns. If you haven’t already, you can read it here.
If you know Lady of the Glen, who pride themselves on being all about quality, natural presentation, and rarity, it’s fair to assume they’re not tapping into the novelty factor by taking a Caol Ila that’s been quietly resting in a hoggie for 7-ish years and then quickly dumping it into a wine cask with a cool an unusual name and origin to score some points with the cool kids. So with that in mind, I’m intrigued to find out what those 2 years of further maturation in a Cypriote white wine cask will give me.
As I’ve never tried Xynisteri wine and know next to nothing about it, I felt it was my solemn duty to find out more and of course went out of my way to do some thorough research to know what’s what so I can share it with you. So approximately 0.37 seconds after googling ‘Xynisteri’, I learned that it’s the most common grape variety on Cyprus, that it thrives best at altitude and – because of that - it’s known for its mineral and lemon like freshness and flavours reminiscent of peach and white plum. For me, literally no effort is too much when it comes to providing you with essential information. And with that little proverbial blowing of my own trumpet, it’s time to get to some tasting notes.
On the nose there’s the obvious ashy peat with a soft funk to it, going into a grassy note. Lovely balance of sweet and sour (for those who know and remember: think old school lemony Napoleon bonbons) and a subtle maritime salinity . Lemongrass – as stated on the label, would you believe, with a dry wine like sweetness. It doesn’t really need any water despite the 58.3% ABV, but when you do, the ashy notes become less prominent to make room for fresh and floral notes, with the lemongrass really opening up. It’s definitely got that classic Caol Ila signature, but there’s a bit of a twist to it. Which is nice.
On to the palate. Grassy-floral and herbaceous combined with the ashy peat. There’s less sweetness here. Now there’s a straw – clay like note to this coming from the saltiness I think with a bit of chewy, oily thick mouthfeel to it. A drop of water puts things on edge and makes it a bit sharper, whilst also allowing the sweeter white fruit notes to make a comeback. All in all, there’s quite a bit of complexity here, but it always remains accessible and never becomes difficult. There’s not one note that tries to push the others out, which makes for a lovely harmonious whisky with a very good balance.
The finish is long and quite dry on ash and salt that lingers and lingers on the tip of your tongue. This changes again with a few drops of water, making it less dry and adding some herbaceous notes.
Very good whisky this. Not brilliant, but very good. Young, but well matured, lively and with character. It took me a while to find where and how the wine cask is doing its part, but it’s definitely there, yet subtle, adding nice little accents rather than taking over what is very much so (yet another) lovely Caol Ila. 87/100
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