Caol Ila 25yo

[Jan_M]

Hey,

I am from Belgium & 26yo.
I am new to the world of malts and since my visit to a whisky festival a year ago, my interests in this golden liquid has raisen a lot. Favorites so far are Caol Ila, Ardbeg and Highland Park.
Because of my preference so far in Caol Ila and after a period of price watching, i bought myself a bottle of 25yo 1978 Caol Ila.

It's still unopend and i was wondering how your opinions are about that whisky.
Was it worth the 3 times higher price then a 18yo bottle ?
And would you have chosen a Highland Park 25yo (about the same price) instead ?

As a novice, it's difficult to get an idea which tastes i prefer.
I hope that my next bottle of Laphroaig will confirm my pref in peat

Thanks a lot for reading & kind regards
Jan

[zippy]

Caol Isla, Ardbeg and Highland Park are three excellent distilleries. A 25yo Caol Isla is very good although a little less peaty than you may expect - the younger whiskies tend to have more peaty bite, but that is compensated for by other more complex flavours and aromas. As for whether it is worth it, it tends to be a case of diminishing returns (as with so many things in life!) - it certainly isn't 3 times better than the 18 yo, but its price is pretty comparable with other whiskies of a similar age

- my opinion is open it up and start drinking it asap!

I can't comment on the HP 25 yo not having tried it, but I would like to do so, I suspect it's pretty good too!

[dcb]

I've never had the 25, but I finished a bottle of the 18 a few months ago and really enjoyed it.

[peergynt323]

I must admit, I was not the biggest fan of the Caol Ila 25yo. Older Highland Parks are definitely worth their price tag to me.

[K-Mile]

Hi Jan, Welcome to the forums!

Quite some favorites you have, excellent choices. I have not tried the Coal Ila 25yo, so I can't compare it but it's sure to be a great dram

Highland Park, Ardbeg, both also have great older expressions, but please, do not forget about the younger expressions! It helped me a lot to appreciate the older expressions by trying the younger ones first. This helps getting accustomed to them, and it saves you money as well

Good luck on your journey through the wonderfull world of single malts

[Jan_M]

Thanks all for your replies.

The bottle is still unopend ... (waiting for a tasting with friends )

[K-Mile]

Thanks all for your replies.

The bottle is still unopend ... (waiting for a tasting with friends )

Great! I think it really helps if you have the chance to enjoy and discuss a great dram with friends. In every way better than doing it alone

[Muskrat Portage]

Jan_M:
Welcome to the forums, I am impressed with the whiskies that you have started with. You either get to travel across the Channel a fair amount or your local bottle shop is very well stocked.
A 25 yo Caol Ila or a Highland Park. That's quite the choice to make but I'd probably have gone as you did with the Caol Ila. Going back next time for the HP.

Muskrat

[Jan_M]

I wish i could travel alot to the UK
But no, after a long online quest to find a good shop, i bought the bottle in Kortrijk (some 100km from Calais).
Paid 130 euros for it
It's probably cheaper in france but surely not worth the distance to drive for me. (grmbl, belgian taxes )

[hpulley]

Some Caol Ila's are very peaty, others are not so peaty. The 25yo 1978 59.4% is a nice one, quite peaty, mossy, oily, smoky, seaweedy, really iodiney and dry on the palate, very dangerously smooth for the high alcohol content. No need at all for water, just a little heat in the finish to let you know it is cask strength. I'm sure you and your friend will enjoy it.

I haven't tried the new 25yo Highland Park and don't know if it differs from the previous bottling. Still, personal preference but I like this CI better than the HP from memory.

Any Ardbeg is great too and 25yo Ardbeg is sublime!

Harry

[Jan_M]

Finally opened the bottle on new years evening.
OMG ... I am still a newbie on this Scottish gold, but never been litterarly blown away by a dram. I was really impressed and it's worth every euro i paid.
The bottle is now closed and hidden after some others ... this ila demands too much respect to drink it regularly.


cheers
Jan

[tungsten]

You definitely made a great choice! A fantastic whisky, although a little expensive - but around here, it's getting rather rare. You might try the James Mc Arthur's Old Masters Special Reserve from Caol Ila distilleries aged 25 years. Slightly different, slightly cheaper...

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Iove peaty Islay SMSWs and from my limited experience I've found Caol Ila malts to be a tad inconsistant, the misses are good, the hits stellar, but not knowing before uncorking is a bit unnerving. Lagavullin IMHO is much more consistant as is Ardbeg than Caol Ila, a work horse distillery producing copious amounts used in blended brands.

[Willie JJ]

Glad you liked the 25yo Jan. Funny thing is that of the OBs I prefer the 12. I think I just like Caol Isla young and raw. That's just me though. Good luck with your future explorations.

[Ganga]

That's my Willie. I have had the more recent release of Caol Ila 25 and two different versions of the HP 25 (cask strength). I like 'em both but my choice would be the Highland Park if the price is even. Now, give me a $25 discount on the Caol Ila...

If you like it as much as you indicate, you made the right choice.

[Laphroaig]

Not 100% certain but I did have a couple of tastes of an earlier release of the Caol Ila 25. I assume it was the 1978. Speaking from memory I'm pretty sure the bottle I possess reads 1979/2005. I preferred the 1979 bottle. The earlier was damn good but the newer bottle grabbed me a bit tighter.