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Very powerful, rather austere, herbal - no water needed - with water it becomes more herbal and a tad bitter

An Islay malt made for the summer. Nice fruit cocktail - and really unpeated. Come here in the base slightly undervalued.

Super sweet. Lacks body.

Although I prefer the peated style, this is pretty easy to drink. An indusrial output and yet one of my favourite distilleries. Well worth trying.

[December, 2020] I really appreciate Caol Ila as one of the few distilleries which deliver a consistent high quality all the times with almost no sub-standard release so far and this unpeated edition is a good chance to explore the unmasked profile of the Caol Ila stills... ...which is a nice encounter but at the same time it displays how the standard Caol Ila profile benefits from the peaty aromas added. This is a flawless and nice malt but somehow this profile is very exchangeable (which the peated Caol Ila is not) and not very interesting. Worth a try but certainly not at these rather high price points - go for a sample instead of a bottle unless you are very sure you will like the "naked" Caol Ila.

Bright, even straw-colored. There is a certain oilyness.

Granny Smith The Diageo Special Releases is a yearly party for whiskylovers in which Diageo launches some gems – albeit with a hefty pricetag – often malts that we rarely get to tasted and often – but not always – at a respectable age or special maturation. I had the pleasure to try a bunch at a special Diageo presentation in Antwerp recently. Let me share my thought, starting with this Caol Ila 15 Year Old Unpeated Style. Contrary to previous releases, this one matured on a combination of both American and European oak. The nose is surprisingly sweet – more than I am used to from this expression – and very mild. Granny Smith apples, honey, juicy pears and vanilla. Just a hint of the sea. Some warm almond paste, liquorice and something umami that I cannot quite pinpoint. It is immediately very piquant on the palate. Pepper, ginger, salt. Warm and fresh at the same time. Think big mint. Loads of honey, pine resin and a sudden surge of almost tropical fruit. Think apricots and lime. Nicely oily. Good! The finish is very long, spicy, zesty and heartwarming. It is not my favorite Unpeated (that is still the 17 Year Old that was released in 2015), but it remains a grand dram that wraps you up. Around 100 EUR.

"This train is on fire and we have nothing more to wait ...". If you know this song, you can understand my associations. True, I was standing on the roof of the second car just behind the steam locomotive and the coal furnace.

Requires some water. Fantastic banana notes from start to finish! In addition, vanilla and coco notes.

well, well, well... i had a sample of this in my whisky christmas calender (thanks wifey) and was looking forward to trying this. the stuff i read and heard about it was not all positive, but still i thought it will be something interesting, as i am a huge caol ila fan. unfortunately, this somehow shows how boring this destillate can be without the peat. i mean this is almost 60% abv, but the flavor profile is more of a watered down obstler (thats what we call a fruit spirit in austria). the nose keeps your expectations high, with some honeyed hay, almost bruichladdich-like. but as soon as the fluid hits your tongue, it only goes downwards. not that this is exceptionally bad, but it is no good either. i would not mind having a few drams of this. however, i would not buy a bottle.

Aroma: it has a very nice, creamy, malty, spicy aroma + citrus and stone fruit Taste: light, malty, smooth, creamy, milky, yet spicy whisky * Later, when it opens up, it becomes even more interesting, fresh, fruity, very clean

- a very pleasant other CAOL ILA - here you notice the character of the distillery, because it is not covered with heavy smoke or intense first fill fruit barrels - very well done and definitely better than the 18 year old by Caol Ila! - not cheap but sometimes a good change

Without the "covering" smoke, it shows the character of the distillery from a completely different perspective; Diageos Special Release 2018; Beautifully multi-layered - a very good Caol Ila!

Sweet and fruity

This is the first in the 'unpeated' series that is truly unpeated. The 8 and 10 are still quite a bit of peat to discover. This delicious intense 15 year old cracker has a very fruity side and a somewhat earthy side. Citrus fruits, young not yet fully ripe bananas and some stone fruits. The earthy touch is noticeable both on the nose and on the taste. Has a clean nose and structure. The whisky becomes deliciously thick in the mouth. What a banger! Complexity: 86 Intensity: 90 Price quality, top. (bought for €90)

I really enjoy the unpeated version, it has hints of peat smoke.

Clean and coastal, this was all salted margarita rims and citrusy lemons. Hessian and twine lingered further in with beechwood to give the impression of a lagoon-facing beach shack with dry palm fronds and pandanus leaves. More fruits emerged with time, though a few drops of water helped bring them on quicker with white pineapple, soursop, and hints of pandan— coconut belatedly joined but remained a bit shy. Medium-bodied on the palate, the whisky was waxy with a peppery maritime brine leading waxy citrus skins to tide pools of limestone and coral— the pepperiness was a bit mineralic. More grassy sugars and pandan arrived near the end, though water brought them out faster and dimmed some of the peppery and spirited qualities of the malt. The finish was medium to long with pepper, driftwood, and maritime brine. Remove the hefty peat from Caol Ila: strip away the smoke and medicinal herbs and what is left? Plenty of citrus and sea, though getting there required surviving a rather peppery and stormy spirit. I loved the rawness of this malt, but a few drops of water seemed mandatory to settle it— though even then the finish remained peppery. It had a lot in common with the “unpeated style’ release from the 2015 Special Release cohort, especially that margarita rim quality, but it lacked some of the finesse that the more mature 17 Year carried.

The mouthfeel was a real surprise! So thick and oily. Wow! What a cool unpeated caol ila!

Pear, apple peel, hay, malt, honey, rhubarb, vanilla, leached wood. Pepper spiciness, not quite balanced, warming, oily, slightly sweet, astringent. Almost a medium body, intensity scratches the middle area.

I would never guess 60% abv, reminds me of a lemon poppyseed cake with white icing and a glass of apple juice to wash it down.

Peat, please come back... Since Peat is gone from Caol ila, it has become just an ordinary ex-bourbon character. I think the most difficult thing to write a review for is an ordinary ex-bourbon character without any special features.

17-03-2019

Tasting of the 2017 release at age 18 (WB95719) against the 2018 release at age 15 (WB116915).

scbp-4441, a relatively original wine.

Tasted on 07-21-2023 @Rosenhof, Franken.

A very untypical Caol Ila, in which you don't necessarily miss the smoke. It already has a nice raisin sweetness and some vanilla in the smell. In the mouth I didn't think I had cask strength in the glass. Very pleasant and the alcohol is well integrated.

So this is one of the whiskies that I will be very diligently looking for at home! The aroma is very clean, malty, creamy, sweet and very straightforward but not extravagant, like hay with a slight woody and stoney note. The high alcohol content in the aroma is not felt at all. The taste is also very straightforward, malty, fruity-sweet with a slight bitterness, slight woody and with a funky finish like the taste of salted caramel. The alcohol spiciness is present but not at all disturbing. Very very good whisky and I am very glad that I was able to taste it thanks to the dedication and generosity of the owner of the Bratislava whisky paradise The Izzi Pub. Thank you for the experience!

In my opinion, the unpeated Caol Ila `s are unfortunately significantly underrated and this one very special. But he needs decent water to really play his strengths. But then he rewards with a rich and wonderfully differentiated spectrum of flavors. Since there is no smoke (at least no superficial smoke, because so completely smoke-free are the unpeated Caol Ila's not) on the flavors you can here, first of all, the wonderful sweetness of the Brennereicharakters perceive very well. It smells like a fresh, warm butter croissant with good honey. It is accompanied by fresh notes of a sour apple and subtle notes of lemon, which go from ripe lemon to grapefruit to fully ripe sweet orange juice. Then I find a clear vanilla note behind the still marzipan and a little coconut come out and a maritime touch discreetly to the sea, salt and seaweed. I also still notice a trace of smoke, and this caol Ila is definitely the least smoky unpeated. In the mouth, I first took the wonderful and balanced sweetness of the Brennereicharakters was. The sour fresh apple has turned into a sweet juicy apple over which a little cinnamon sugar has been sprinkled and the citrus is now a ripe and juicy grapefruit. Associations with a wonderful Provencal tart au citron appear, as well as bright dried fruits such as apricots, dates and figs. The whisky lies wuderbar oily on the tongue and brings with strong thinner a strong flavor cargo with it. The finish is long, becoming increasingly dry, astringent, with a distinct nuttiness and pepperiness. A wonderful whisky, varied, fresh, balanced and without any junkiness, which brings out a huge variety of flavors by varying the addition of water.

Caol Ila Unpeated 15 year old Special Release 2018 SMSW 59.1%. 30ml consumed Sep 2022. Mid-tone golden in the light of this very dark Autumn evening. Aroma is closed with some candyfloss, raspberry bubblegum, minerally – pebbles and salt. Not lots happening. Pleasant enough though. Body is moderately oily. Taste is briney, lightly floral, faint candyfloss and bubblegum but very, very subtle. Mostly just briney. Any other character is very ethereal and subtle. It’s nicely mature without having any obvious cask character. A touch of oak lingers on. I get on with this fairly well but it’s pretty nondescript spirit. Drinks unbelievably well at 59% and I don’t see any need to add water. Good, solid. I could easily do a bottle but it wouldn’t be something I’d reach for often or look forward to particularly. 3.475/83

Damnit, this really isn’t that good. It’s missing all of the amazing body and most of the rich savoury flavours of the older releases. I don’t know if it’s just a bad vatting, or it just needed more time in the casks, or what. Granted, this was one of the first pours out of the bottle (I gave it loads of air and drank quite slowly), so you can read into that if you like. I’m still disappointed. Nose: Quite floral and lightly sweet. Banana was the leading note I got, as well as, bizarrely, breadfruit! That’s a new one. It’s like banana, but slightly green and chalky. Mint, grass, and green wood, with a hit of anise. No peat in sight, of course, except for a hint of spicy fruity chipotle. Some chalky strawberry candy emerged with time. Palate: Medium-light texture. Richer than the nose: Earthy malt up front, then lots of flowers, honey, vanilla, and fragrant sandalwood. Seaweed next, with light peppery spice and puffed rice. Some oak bitterness. Some fruit, but not particularly sweet: pear, peach, lemon, and banana. An earthy clay note on the back, as well as more honey. Finish: Fairly light and short. More banana and breadfruit here. Some dark chocolate and light oak notes, as well as more clay and pepper.

Tasted at the distillery in May 2018.

After 2 hours in the open and a full tea spoon of water in the glass, this still cauterises the inside of my nose, any time my face gets too close. There are other components to the nose as well, but singed nasal hair seems to be unavoidable. Straight out of the bottle, it has a meatiness to it that fades as the vanilla rises, but they get to a stable level where both are detectable. It's somewhat floral at the beginning, but that fades into valid various cooked fruits which evolve from apple to strawberry by way of peach and rest on a bed of flaky, buttery pastry. The palate has an immediate vanilla cream approach, which is quite thick and has a hint of stone fruit, but very quickly monstrous pepper rolls right over it. Water helps here and soothes the beast a little. It allows the stone fruits some space to move back in, but it dulls the minty side of the peppermint. The tail is medium and carries a lot of the pepper through, but with a different emphasis. There's a little bitterness (also lessened by water) and the spice spreads out into some powdered ginger and chili flakes which are much more sedate and easy going in comparison to what was in the palate. It eventually fizzles out leaving light coloured honey, minor citrus and mild bitter herbs. Interesting, but unbalanced. I can see why this is the exception rather than the rule.

The 8yo unpeated style is better.

Don't like the smell of ink

12/11/2020 It is very closed without water. By adding water you get a fruity-fresh and sweet-spicy malt. Interesting to try a Caol Ila without smoke.

Very citrus and spicy, maybe too punchy for me

I think I made the right decision to start my journey to Caol Ilas Malts with an unpeated variant. I think this whisky is very good! Especially for a 15 year old. I would blindly bet on a longer maturation period. Sometimes I absolutely cannot understand the reviews in the Whiskybase. Perhaps you should rid yourself of finding smoke and peat here right at the beginning of the tasting. If you can do that, then you get an excellent malt. The nice thing is that on the one hand you can play well with water and on the other hand (and I've rarely had that before) it remains consistently great from the nose to the taste to the finish.

*This review was originally written in Korean and translated through ChatGPT. There may be translation errors.*

Sweet nose, needs a lot of water to get better... Had better ones in older bottlings.

Nose: Without water he is too alcoholic and pungent in my nose. Citrus fruit and apple, however, I can recognize. But: water march! On 1cl, you can easily add 0.5cl of water without watering down too much. The nose is blooming properly! Lively green Granny Smith, the slices are sprinkled with lemon and lime. Vanilla, coconut, marzipan. A single bit of smoke, more of an idea than a flavor. So far, the most "useless" of the Unpeated. Over time, the lemon tends to develop into grapefruit. A malty sweetness is also present. Maritime flavors are also present (seaweed) interestingly, these are the strongest after about 10 drops of water and come with further dilution back behind the sweet notes. Some pineapple, a Pina Colada impression arises. Playing with water is a real pleasure! Mouth: At first, I try to dilute it (40%) so as not to "singe" the taste buds too much. Gummy sweet is the first association (white and green), coconut flakes, vanilla pulp. No smoke or ashes. The green, sparkling apples are rather sweet here. Grapefruit comes strong from the citrus fruits. Wonderfully oily and heavy, the whisky is on the tongue, and despite the dilution, the flavor is very strong. The malt is spiced up with a few drops of spicy and peppery, slightly grassy notes. Also oak spiciness and a slight bitterness are noticeable, also some white pepper. Again with whisky "high-chipped" to about 52%, the pepper is very spicy, together with the citrus fruit results in a taste like of Szechuanpfeffer. Finish: Medium long, here slightly astringent-dry, again the Pina Colada and some apples. Conclusion: The first unpeated of me really convinced. 2015-2017 did not really pick me up, but 2018 is a direct hit. Maybe day form, I found it pure too violent, but he invites you to experiment with water and shows slightly different facets, very beautiful malt. 88/100

Smell: Fruity and herbaceous, vanilla, a little raisin + chocolate. A little smoky. Quite full, in fact, there are all kinds of things. Taste: I found a tall tree in the Wetland Park in Daqingtian and sat down to eat fruit cake. All is well, Bashi. Finishing rhyme: first warm, then refreshing, raisins and a little pineapple. I used to feel prickly when I drank this, but I don't feel it today. Maybe my mouth is more used to it today, or it may be better to wake up. Everything is fine, but it feels like something is missing. After this, since 2019, Caol Ila has no longer put no peat in the SR. I thought this was a peat-free ending, but in fact, it was considered a passable answer. 86.5/100

The aroma is powerful, extremely multifaceted and smoky. There's also a hefty dose of vanilla, slightly burnt caramel, a hint of oak spice, wood, and finally a surprising note towards motor oil. Over time, an exotic, creamy aroma reminiscent of soft-serve ice cream with tropical citrus syrup. The taste is very powerful, burning everything, hard, pungent, sharp and fiery. The smoke is polished and collected, allowing the taste to resonate with the aroma - spicy and enriching. What comes out is charred wood, sea water, a pinch of iodine, and delicate oak. The aftertaste is surprisingly welcoming. There is almost no smoke in it, rather sweetness, towards vanilla, pastries, salted caramel, juicy lemon cake.

Basically a very tasty malt with significant weaknesses in the taste. Peat is probably good for the Caol ila brand. But you can also distil such tasty whisky.

Caol Ila 15 YO Unpeated Style CS 2018 Category: Single Malt Producer and bottler: Caol Ila Distillery (Diageo) Region: Islay ABV: 59.1% (cask) Volume: 700 ml Bottling date: 03/12/2018 Bottling Series: Unpeated Style - Diageo Special Releases 2018 Barrel Type: American Oak Hogsheads & European Oak Butts Age: 15 YO Filtration: no Dye: none Nose. Salty sea breeze, citrus peel with black hammer and ginger, stone chips, wood glue, fresh wood, walnut partitions, licorice, dried green apples and peaches, yellow raisins, banana peels, cream, vanilla. The mineral-industrial profile in the aroma is combined with a small splash of fruit and malt, plus very noticeable spices and, in the first couple of minutes in the glass, ethanol. With water the aroma becomes lighter and fruitier. Taste. Without water, you get concentrated, very powerful flavors of lemon drops, candied fruit, salty licorice, cream, white bread crumb, black pepper and ginger, and a sensation like chewing on a bush stem. With water, the sweetness in the taste practically disappears, the candies turn into sour lemon juice, salt and pepper seem to also noticeably increase. Not to say that the taste is very rich in nuances, but this is compensated by its concentration and strength. Aftertaste. Long lasting. Dry. Zest, pepper, mint, anise. Summary. An interesting non-peated Caol Ila with a lemon-sea character that is iconic for the distillery, not very varied in flavor, but very bright and intense. It “absorbs” water well and, therefore, will give you many evenings of interesting pastime. Score: 85 out of 100.

I did a cross-review of SR unpeated Caol Ila bottled from 2013 to 2018. The wines scored between 86 and 87 points, which is very stable. I have a detailed description in the 2015 vintage with the highest score (wb id: 177581)

A delightful experience overall. No remarkable richness and complexity, however, a typical note of lightness and tradition is well displayed by the dram.

A 2018 release from Diageo's special release series. Unpeated malt spirits were matured in refill and reconstituted American and ex-bodega European oak hochsheads. Caol Ila is Diageo's workhorse, serving the company's blending needs and primarily producing unpeated spirits. Ironically, all regular releases are peated, making this a great introduction to the profile of this largest distillery on Islay. Nose: Bright, open, fresh and candy-like, very citrusy, mentholated. Vanilla, lemon, floral honey, herbaceous, mineral, unripe banana, white pepper, oak. Palate: The palate is explosive, bright, fresh, citrusy, and quite tart. The body is surprisingly subtle, despite its age and strength. Vanilla, candy caramel, citrus, herbaceous notes, floral notes, ginger, lemon zest, and tannins. Finish: vanilla, malty sweetness, citrus, ginger, lemon peel, oak Balance: A fresh, vibrant, explosive whisky with a malty, citrusy, and herbal profile. Despite its inherent brightness, you'd expect greater complexity, depth, and richness from a 15-year-old cask-strength malt. The aroma, flavor, and finish are virtually identical. The spirits feel quite young and prickly, with minimal sherry influence. N21, P22, F20, B22

Yogurt & Fruit whisky! So refreshing citrus and fruits. But it's a little sharp. Citrus and fruit yogurt. (with a bit of smoke) 86 : Good. Can enjoy without complaint. But I don't think I need to buy it again.

Nose: Slightly prickly/sharp, fruits, vanilla, transitioning to a touch of fresh grass and lemon zest. Palate: Alcohol-forward, sweet, medium to light-bodied with no oily texture. Warming with distinct woody tones—a benchmark sherry-driven cask strength whisky. Finish: Medium. Spicy oak and lingering malty aromas.