Another Malt Nuts event so close to the last? Madness! Well, actually, it is, but not the kind you’re thinking of. It took me forever to get the Ardmore tasting notes up because things got insane with the day job and had to cut down my writing time significantly. Luckily this week I caught a wee bit of a breather and was able to get everything from last week’s Malt Nuts Caol Ila 8 Years and Under tasting done in a timely fashion.
Like all MN events, it was done blind and so we only knew the theme, and what bottle we brought, and that was it. But unlike most MN events, this one only had one round since it was just 8 whiskies total. So no breakdown this time, just a straight run through.
In typical fashion we gathered, laughed and stayed way too late at our gracious host’s place because once the whisky is open no one wants to stop the fun. Here’s what we drank that night
Malt Nuts: Caol Ila 8 Years and Under Tasting
1: Faultline and Seven Grand Caol Ila 06 years (09-16): 58% – “Oak Cask” and ex-Rum
- Nose: Peat, saline, buttery toffee, plastic and honey.
- Palate: Peat, saline, herbal, buttery toffee, plastic and honey.
- Finish: Long -> Peat, honey and buttery toffee.
- Overall: B (83-86) Soft and smoky with sweet undertones. Water brings out vanilla and a minerality.
2: Hepburn’s Choice Caol Ila 06 years (09-16): 58.9% – Sherry Hogshead
- Nose: Vanilla, char, malt, peat, herbal and dried fruit.
- Palate: Buttery vanilla, peat, malt, char, fruit and honey.
- Finish: Long -> Peat, vanilla and fruit.
- Overall: B (83-86) Cask influence showing through with and oddly rustic and oaky quality to it. The sweetness is oddly holding it all together.
3: Hepburn’s Choice Caol Ila 07 years (09-16): 58.2% – Wine Cask Finish
- Nose: Peat, grapey/wine sweetness, vanilla fondant, fruit leather and smoke.
- Palate: Peat, grapey/wine sweetness, vanilla fondant, fruit leather and smoke with a bit of sulfur and menthol.
- Finish: Long -> Sweet dark dried fruit, smoke, vanilla and sulfur.
- Overall: B+ (87-89) Ummm… yes please. I want more of this guy, this is some dang tasty whisky with the wine notes mixing perfectly with the young Caol Ila profile. That light pop of sulfur adding a bit of depth and complexity. Nice.
4: Old Malt Cask Caol Ila 06 years (09-16): 50% – Sherry Hogshead
- Nose: Butterscotch, toffee, cooking oil, nuts and peat.
- Palate: Butterscotch, malt, spice, nuts, herbal and peat.
- Finish: Long -> Peat, toffee and spice.
- Overall: B- (80-82) Peat comes through lightly and water doesn’t kick it up at all. Though it does bring out a touch of citrus.
At this point in the tasting we took a break and Head Malt Nut Barry asked how we felt about the whisky. Turned out that #3 was incredibly polarizing (and still was at the end of the night). I, obviously, enjoyed it and it ended up being my favorite of the night.
5: SMWS Caol Ila 07 years (10-18): 60.2% – 2nd Fill Hogshead
- Nose: Vanilla cupcakes, citrus, toffee, char, malt and nuts.
- Palate: Vanilla cupcakes, citrus, toffee, char, malt and some herbal and spice notes.
- Finish: Long -> Peat, herbal, malt and vanilla.
- Overall: B (83-86) A touch herbal and smoky gliding across the sweetness. A nice easy whisky.
6: The Sovereign Caol Ila 08 years (10-18): 59.5% – Sherry Finished Butt
- Nose: Vanilla, minerality, peat, toffee, citrus and herbal notes.
- Palate: Vanilla, minerality, peat, toffee, citrus and herbal notes.
- Finish: Long -> Peat, herbal and malty sweetness.
- Overall: C (73-76) The more the whisky opens, and if you add water, the herbal notes grow, but are soon overtaken by notes of banana and caramel taffy.
7: Old Particular Caol Ila 08 years (10-18): 58.3% – Refill Hogshead
- Nose: Imitation vanilla, peat, minerality, malt and cooking oil
- Palate: Imitation vanilla, peat, minerality, malt and cooking oil with some light solvent/cleaner notes.
- Finish: Long -> Smoke, solvent/cleaner and oil.
- Overall: C+ (77-79) As odd as it sounds the above notes kind of work. It’s light, and water destroys it, but on its own it’s odd in the kind of way that makes you say “yeah… why not, I’ll try it again”. But probably not a third time.
8: Hepburn’s Choice Caol Ila 05 years (09-15): 58.4% – Refill Hogshead
- Nose: Honey, peat, minerally marshmallow sweetness and some herbal notes.
- Palate: Honey, peat, minerally marshmallow sweetness and some herbal notes.
- Finish: Long -> Peat and minerality.
- Overall: B- (80-82) Suuuuuper light aroma that doesn’t really perk up with time or water. The palate is young and crisp and tasty, but falls apart with water. Still, I ain’t mad at it.
One of the things I do at all of these Malt Nuts tastings is, at the end of the night, make a vatting of all the whiskies we tasted. I take everything that’s left in my glasses, pour them together, give it a couple of good mixing swirls and that’s what I end the night with. Sometimes it’s the best thing I’ve tasted all night and sometimes it’s the worst. But this time it was right in the middle.
Through the evening I never picked up a “lemon” note, but when I mixed them all together (at this point having opened all night + water added) it was the first thing that hit me on the aroma – followed by peat. The palate was the same experience and it slowly got stronger as the night went on and we turned away from the serious business of Scotch and towards the more serious business of catching up and telling jokes.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it several dozen times. My favorite part of Malt Nuts is the people so it’s never a sad moment when the whisky ends and the socializing begins… though never hurts that the whisky is still on the table.
Till next time. Cheers!