2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years Review

This 2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years was my entry for our Teenage  Caol Ila  Tasting at Malt Nuts. Head Malt Nut Barry was kind enough to let me use this one because I had misplaced the 13-year-old I had specifically set aside for that tasting. Though, as so often happens, I found the 13 yo two days after the tasting; I’ll be reviewing it later this week as part of this mini Caol Ila journey.

However, getting back to this Scotch, that ended up being a blessing in disguise. To further hammer in the point that age is just a number this cask strength blend of two hogsheads (ex-Sherry, ex-Bourbon, Zebra, who knows) performed well that night. No one clocked it as being “less than teen” and it more than held its own against a line of higher-aged Caol Ilas.

2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Islay, Scotland

Distiller: Caol Ila
Bottler: Signatory
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: Hogsheads
Age: 12 Years (2006-2019)
ABV: 55.8%

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Cask: 311567 + 311568
Bottles: 506

Price: $110

Tasting Notes

EYE
Gold

NOSE
Vanilla, toffee, smoke, grilled fruit, custard sweetness, saline, fresh muffins and honey. Rich, full and heavy, the aroma on this 2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years is definitely my favorite aspect of this whisky.

PALATE
Ditto on all the notes from the aroma with some added notes of honey graham and touches of char and fresh griddle cakes and burnt cookies. A warm oily dram of deliciousness. Time has been very kind to this one.

FINISH
Long -> Smoke, malt, fruit and pastries/griddle cakes fade out in the perfect ending to a good whisky.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Great balance, full round body and an oily feel.

2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years – Final Thoughts and Score

Take the regular Caol Ila 12 and dial it up to 11. This is a powerful whisky and it opened up a lot after the Malt Nuts tasting. What started as a tasty, but rather tight, dram has blossomed into a warm and full whisky. An oily, smoky and expressive profile I want to sip on all the time. This is delicious.

But it’s not all heavy oily profiles. There’s an elegance and fullness to it that belies its 12 years. In fact, after blossoming, this 2006 Signatory Caol Ila 12 Years spars well with the 21 yo Caol Ila I’ll be reviewing in a few days. And tasting a 12 and 21 side-by-side and not having one completely dominate or wilt before the other is… magnificent.

SCORE: 3.5/5