Thompson Bros Caol Ila 10 Year Old RMW Exclusive Scotch Single Malt Review

Courtesy of Caol Ila

I’ve had a couple of Caol Ila from the core range on here now but as I’ve progressed in my whisky journey the core range has often felt a little flat and over priced. Like many a Diageo product it’s the indie label expressions of Caol Ila that speak to me more.

Independent bottlers more often than not offer their wares as naturally presented. This means natural colour, so no dreaded e150 caramel to trick the eyes into thinking you’ve bought some liquid mahogany. No chill filtration, so all the lovely flavour giving oils and fats in the whisky are left intact. Finally they are regularly offered at higher abv/proof compared to the standard releases allowing you to play with the addition of water to adjust the strength to your own taste and palate.

On the final point there about the abv or proof. High abv or proof isn’t inherently better, that extra alcohol can sometimes to way too much as I’ve experienced in the past, it’s just that you are not limited to a producer dictating the proof to you. In the case of Caol Ila, and frankly a lot of the Diageo malts, that dictated proof is 43% abv (and usually with Diageo malts they will also be chill filtered and plagued with e150 caramel colouring).

If you are newer to the world of whisky then the step up from 40% abv to 43% is a welcome one and definitely can add a new level of experience. For this cantankerous old hack 43% is just a little too benign for me these days.

Anyway, ‘full fat’ Caol Ila can be a fantastic experience so let’s see how the Thompson Bros fare shall we?

Let’s Taste!

Thompson Bros Caol Ila 10 Year Old RMW Exclusive 56.7% abv £58

Recharred hogshead (270 btls)

Nose: Smoke oysters, brine, wet rope, gentle coastal bonfire smoke as well as smoked paprika. Heather honey, grilled apples and peaches, salted lemons and pencil shavings.

Water brings out caramel rice pudding, a hint of milk chocolate and some bbq rub.

Palate: Really rather sweet on arrival – caramelising apples and peaches covered in light brown sugar, iced vanilla sponge followed by a wave of sweet peat smoke. Iodine, oyster brine and bbq sauce. A mix of lemon and orange peel with lashings of salt. 

Water brings bbq’d meat to the table as well as some smoked cheese.

Finish: Medium length with plenty of lingering sweetness tempered by coastal salinity, sharp citrus and gentle peat.

Score: 7 out of 10

Overall: Such a pleasing and easy drink Islay malt. Caol Ila presented how it should beand very good value for money. It’s hard to look at official Caol Ila bottling when you can pick up indie bottlings like this.

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