Today we share a wee dram again. Relax, kick up your heels, and straighten your kilt...this time our bottle is Caol Ila.
Caol Ila is an Islay Scotch, brought to us by a distillery founded in 1846. As an Islay, it’s got an attitude like B.A. Baracus, landing on the palate like an avalanche. I love an aggressive Scotch from time to time, and Caol Ila doesn’t disappoint. It’s not as high on the chart for sheer brutality as Laphroaig or Ardbeg, but it definitely slaps your tongue around like Chris Brown on a bender.
The taste brings to mind the two main features of an Islay almost immediately: peat and the salt air of an oceanside distiller. There’s a long finish on this one that makes those notes linger, a quick inhale through the mouth after a sip will refresh the flavor, making Scotch haters launch into a hacking cough immediately. If that cough is present, you know the drinker isn’t worth their kilt, and you have my permission to call them a Philistine, ladyboy, or plain simple wuss, as the company dictates.
This is another of the affordable scotches I love. If I don’t have to spend over $50, a bottle is much more likely to find its way to the Scotch shelf of the Pyrate Pub’s bar.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to share this with Ruffstuff to get his opinion. He begged to know why I wanted to punish him when I offered him a taste. We Scotch drinkers have a much refined sense of taste, it seems.
Affordability, strong flavor, and a long finish make this one a fine choice for anyone wanting an Islay taste. Caol Ila, remember it…and Slainte!
I am a "beer kinda guy" and I will not fake knowing anything about scotch, but I must admit that I was unaware of the exclusivity of it's club members. I am always looking for the newest way to be cool, so when my daughter is of legal age, I am not deemed old school and unable to hang.
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