If you’re a regular viewer of our whisky reviews, then you know that we’re big fans of Islay’s Caol Ila Distillery and the magical spirits that they produce. If you’re a regular viewer, then you also know that all of the Caol Ilas we’ve reviewed have come from independent bottlers and are not direct from the distillery releases. In each and every one of these reviews, we always say that the standard issue Caol Ila 12 is a bit meh.

Here’s the rub…

While we always belittle the humble and readily available Caol Ila 12, the truth is that we’ve haven’t had it in quite some time. Thanks to some post Christmas whisky shopping, I was able to find a three pack of Diageo’s The Classic Malts releases which just happened to have a wee bottle of the aforementioned Caol Ila 12. Long story short, this is our attempt to find out if the Caol Ila 12 is actually meh, or maybe it was great all along and we had our heads up our own asses (very likely).

Here’s what Caol Ila has to say about their 12 Year Old expression:

The ultimate Islay malt, Caol Ila is considered by experts to be the perfect entry point into the world of peaty malt whiskies and a reference for connoisseurs of Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky the world over. Fresh, sweetly fruity and smooth-bodied, Caol Ila 12 year old is the colour of pale straw, with a delicate balance of tastes.

To find out what we thought of this classic Islay whisky and whether or not we had our heads up our own asses (again, very likely), click the play button on the following video:

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