Douglas Laing | 58.9% ABV

More Flexible, Reliable and Dependable Caol Ila.

Whenever I’m faced with a dram of Caol Ila, my memory banks spurt into action and take me back several years ago to an ill-fated distillery tour.

The distillery is Diageo’s powerhouse, rebuilt in the early 70s to boost product and enable more blending product. That’s when Brora stepped into the breach to cover the shortfall in peated distillate, when Caol Ila was posted missing in action. From the demolition of the old site, a new vision took form on an epic scale and is the one that greets us today.

There’s a suggestion of what was when you drive down towards the distillery; the old warehouse hinting at the past, but reeked in sadness as the site is a mundane modern construct. Very much of its time and an efficient build without much thought given to any visual splendour. This was, after all, an era before whisky tourism. However, the distillery has been closed to visitors for a couple of years, with its new look set to be unveiled in the summer of 2022. 

Now, I could detour here and discuss pretty much all the distillate from Caol Ila is shipped off the mainland. The Scotch Whisky Association probably wouldn’t approve, but I know there’s a growing debate among enthusiasts about maturation. Should it be within the region that it was distilled? Should we have more information like we’re seeing on some rum releases that feature years matured in the tropics versus in Europe? A debate for another day, as any changes to this would rip apart the business models of the industry big players, so don’t hold your breath.

The only concession the Caol Ila designers seem to have given is the view from the Still House that many visitors take in and remember fondly. It seems like an afterthought and possibly driven by the fact this behemoth of a distillery was going to produce night and day. The view might help with those long-protracted hours. The finished viewpoint is miles better than staring at a whitewashed wall or gazing through a tiny window dreaming about being free.

The distillery tour itself was a rather drab affair. Classic Diageo text plucked straight from the corporate binder. It always amazed me that regardless of a different site or guide, these Diageo tours would blend into one another in a pool of greyness. Featuring the same commandments and repelling of specific questions, they are designed for a more mass market and rose-tinted clientele. That’s cool if you understand the reality of the situation, and maybe, just maybe, things have improved with the Johnnie Walker make-over of several sites. Although I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve dropped by.

So, back to Islay and one fateful summer’s day when we were participating in a small tour at Caol Ila. Our guide for the day was from the other side of the world, possibly travelling, exploring and working as she went along. Potentially, there was a tale to be told about how someone ended up on Islay giving whisky tours? It’d be one that I’d have certainly enjoyed, but we were thoroughly on point when it came to the touring script.

A small segment of our tour was from a German whisky club. They were visibly excited about being on Islay and seeing Caol Ila. Bubbly and infectious to watch, it reminded us of the love some have for whisky. They were full of questions as my German friends seemingly always are on whisky tours. Admittedly, at times, they struggled to keep the lid on their enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge – only quenched by a few drams at the end of the tour, but it was all good-natured.  

It made for a candid contrast against the more efficient and stark reality of the innards of Caol Ila. Devoid of colour and life, it felt like touring an aircraft hangar without any planes to spark enthusiasm. The guide’s commentary was purely from the book and should have been delivered over a Tannoy if there was one. Unable to give us some much-needed personal insight or reflection of experience, which would have a splash of colour to proceedings, this was all we were going to receive. This fact hadn’t hit home with our German party, they probed and jabbed again to retrieve some nuggets to take home to their whisky club. The tour soon took the form of each room playing host to the same interchanges and a refusal from the guide who clearly didn’t want to deviate from the script because it was rightly her job.

Much of the innards were off-limits and we were politely reminded to not touch this or that, and to refrain from taking photographs. This was a production facility and we were passing through and as such, our imprint (or risk?) was minimised to a benign status. A cold experience? Yes, and while the view remains vivid, it cannot wash away the uncomfortable events of the prior rooms.

The exchange in the milling area just summed up the whole experience and what to expect. A polite request to take some of the grain back to the whisky club fell on deaf ears, despite pleading from one side. For the spectators, it felt all too alien, unnecessary and uncomfortable. Caol Ila struggles to achieve a visual personality, despite the setting, and the memories of a disappointing tour linger to this day.

On the plus side, we bumped into the same whisky club at Bruichladdich and they were having a wonderful time. All the information they could digest and a different approach to health and safety. Nothing was off-limits and the guide was keen to answer any questions and help with requests. A more memorable holiday experience despite the limitations of the whisky.

As for Caol Ila, it all comes down to what’s in the glass. This is where the distillery wins so many fans as opposed to any distillery tour experience. It’s one of the most reliable peated whiskies from Islay. A bad or disappointing Caol Ila is a unicorn in today’s efficient realm of production. With Diageo championing seasoned casks that might change one day, yet it’s hard to fathom a Caol Ila that doesn’t deliver.

For many out there, and possibly some reading this article, you don’t care about these things and why should you? Whisky is what you make it and if you’re solely interested in what’s in the glass, that’s cool.

Speaking of which, we have a Caol Ila right here that prompted my flashback. It’s a joint bottling from Douglas Laing & Co. who are fondly supported by much of the community and Ukrainian bottler, Scyfion. Unlike many of the Scyfion releases, this is delivered in the style of the Old Particular range and features a planet, penguin and satellite on the label? Yeah, it sounds like a Hawkwind album cover and I’ve no insight to offer about the design, so I asked berezovskiy2705 for the details.

It pays to ask questions, as Anatoliy confirmed that all three are inspired by Portugal in homage to the cask, which was purchased from a German broker for €400. The planet is actually the Magellan cloud as a nod to the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, and also the Magellanic penguin. The things you learn from a whisky label.

I should state I was kindly given this bottle in an exchange we performed under the counter at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in October 2021. A fair swap. With a 1980s Glen Garioch white label bottling being handed over on my part, hopefully it isn’t soapy when it’s opened in the Ukraine.

Review

Douglas Laing’s Old Particular Caol Ila for Scyfion, 58.9% ABV
£45 at launch

This Caol Ila is bottled at 9 years of age in May 2020 at 58.9% which resulted in 247 bottles. As is the Scyfion way, it was finished in a Moscatel Roxo cask for three years, so we can dispense with the notion of a finish or rested whisky. This is double maturation country. I wish I could tell you where you can purchase one, but we’ll just have to wait for future releases in the UK from Scyfion, all going well.

Nose

Embers, mainly coal dust mixed with blood orange and honey. Lucozade, pomegranate with the sharpness of tangerines. Rubber debris, ham, red grapes and rolled tobacco. Water reveals chalk, a raspberry coulis, more honey and a cherry Bakewell tart with pineapples to finish.

Palate

Peat smoke, cabbage and honeyed nuts. Strawberry with a hint of rubber and cherries. A smoky beast, less peated but with plenty of coastal vigour with bacon and sea salt. The addition of water tones down proceedings, revealing brass, pecans, wholemeal and more smoke.

The Dregs

Big and bold, what could be a rampaging force has some style to it and the secondary cask works well overall. If you ever felt let down by the official Distillers Edition that was finished in ex-Moscatel wine casks, then this is what you were truly seeking.

Another very enjoyable entry in the Caol Ila archives.

Score: 7/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DM