🛒 Whisky-Maniac

Coastal and creamy - not bad

sweet mineral peat, toffee, citrus, young and pleasant

Definitely very barrel-driven, but this bottling here as an example of a very good cask-heavy Caol Ila.

Nice and varied nose, it eases a bit in the mouth, but then catches up from sip to sip, the finish is a bit too dry and tart for me

dry sea Caol Ila - smoke, a little salt, fruit, chalk, citrus; spicy taste with olives, finish medium 22-22-22-22

You want to drink this whisky alone, but better with a friend.

Quite hot, but it is young. The Caol Ila character is very present from nose to finish, with the moscatel influence imparting some slightly acidic, but pleasant, sweetness; but never dominant. 88 points for now. Good dram, but too expensive for the age.

Excellent, bright whisky, very similar to Ledaig. A very interesting profile of shish kebab marinated in vinegar, I don’t remember seeing this anywhere! 22 22.5 23 22

A balanced Feis Ile bottle, particularly fruity and mellow on the palate, I was a bit surprised when realising it's a relatively young 12yo at 57% ABV.

For a 12-year-old CI in barrel strength, surprisingly round. Of course, the Moscatel barrel doesn't make this whisky "sweety", but it gives it a great character.

Beautiful Caol Ila, pleasantly dark-sweet with water. Interesting finish! Works best with water for me.

Nothing wrong here. Exciting to see the cask influence like this. I actually find it particularly cool for a FI bottling. Giving fans something to experiment, discuss and have fun with. You should not think about the pricing though. Full review in a flight of six Feis Ile 2021 bottlings: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2021/11/24/feis-ile-2021/

Definitely better at full strength than with drops of water. Sweet, slightly smoky, but the smokiness is so mellow and soft that sometimes you cannot even notice. Very well balanced at full strength.

Better than the Lagavulin Feis Ile and still bad! An Ardbeg 8 has more character ...

scbp-4362, warm and slightly dirty, with little intervention from the barrel, and a very restrained fruity flavor after passing through the barrel. The oily feel is the highlight. 88

Meaty, spicy, smoky, full and intense. One of the best fillings of Caol Ila I've ever had.

Smell: peaty body, a little sea salty. There is a hint of tartness similar to sherry, but a little different. If you take a big breath, the main smell of peat is accompanied by a strong sense of alcohol to cover up other flavors. Entrance: The high number does not pierce the mouth, but the impact on the nasal cavity is relatively strong. If you take a small sip, there is a slightly irritating sweetness on both sides of the tongue, and a little fruit acid in the middle. It has a strong peaty feeling in the throat, and the tail is a little bit bitter, similar to discarded coffee grounds after cooking, but without the aroma of coffee. If you take a big sip, it will burn, your mouth and tongue will be numb, and you won't have any taste. Add water to dilute to about 40 degrees: The first smell is a burnt smell, which is the smell of electric mosquito swatter to kill mosquitoes, which is exactly the same as the main note of octomore11.3 smell. The burnt smell is gone again, and it returns to the same feeling as the original barrel. Entrance: sweet, sweet spring water, berries, a touch of milk. Returns the smell of peat after swallowing.

It smells really weird, the sour taste of many household rags mixed with a little saltiness. But its fruity taste is so good that one cannot resist giving it an 88. If I only consider smelling the fragrance, I can only give 80 points.

Interesting nose but the palate is blant

My favourite distillery. Great release with nice depth. Very peaty. Sooty. Sweet with chocolate. Tarry finish. This is good.

This Caol Ila didn't really convince me. In itself quite coherent and balanced, but something impressive is missing. In addition, the finish is a bit short for me.

Smells not good, and taste is bitter, and spicy, not smooth. Comparing to the 2019 Feis Ile, this is trash. I taste with lagavulin 2021 Feis Ile 13-YO, it's not an outstanding one but much better than this.

Direct comparison with the Distillers Edition 2008/2020 Nose: The Feis is initially more direct, closer to a pure ex Bourbon bottling. Much more maritime than the Distillers Edition, Gischt, a seafood platter. After a few minutes in the glass, a sweet note can be felt, almost like a syrup, most likely elderflower syrup. With water very close to the standard 12, but with a subtle fruity sweetness. The Distillers Edition is significantly sweeter than the standard 12, while the Feis bottling comes closer to this, especially with water, but adds an additional odor dimension. Mouth: The Feis is very spicy, strong wood influence (from heavy char?). Strong oak. Quite aggressive without water. With water, especially adjusted to 40-43%, much closer to the Distillers Edition. The oak is still strong, but has a counterbalance in the Moscatel sweetness. Finish: Distillers Edition and Diluted Feis Bottling are both sweet on the finish, the Feis has a strong oak finish. Undiluted, the Feis has too strong oak in the finish. Conclusion: Interesting, the Feis bottling is a small chameleon that invites you to play with water. Interesting contrast between oak and sweetness. I also find it exciting how sweet the Distillers Edition comes off in this comparison. I find it a bit negative that the Feis bottling got too much cask for my taste, which is especially noticeable undiluted. Hence only 87/100

A very good 12 year old Caol Ila. A lot of force in the juice. Very oily with citrus fruits and the unmistakable touch of an Islay malt. The 57% AVB have a slightly pleasant finish. I like that very, very much!

Oily, mineral and vegetable! Metal shavings, charcoal, dried leaves, seaweed, bay leaf, vegetable oil, young walnuts, roasted peanuts, roasted seeds, smoked cheese, menthol, Gavi, lemon, feijoa, herbs.

Nose: Quite classic CI notes on the nose, with initial peatiness on the first wave of aromas, along with ash and charcoal with a nice coastal feel to it as one would expect from Coal Ila (sea spray, seaweed, mossy notes as well). A nice sweetness comes on the 2nd wave of sensation with a touch of honey, vanilla, and creme Catalan alongside a hint of dried fruit – mostly sultanas. Palate: A sweet and smoky entry with sweet notes of honey from the nose hitting the palate, alongside an avalanche of sweet peat, char, and soot. There’s also a note of smokey raisin and nut milk chocolate, sweet, juicy, and lovely. The heat comes on the 2nd wave of sensation – in the form of chilies, and pepper, ginger, and vanilla pastries baked in a wood fire stove. Lots of wood fire, wood embers, and some salted caramel. More seaweed and salt towards the end, with the sweet sultanas still in the background. Finish: very long with the wood smoke going a long way, alongside ash, more soot, and earth mixing nicely with the sweeter honey and sultana notes. Cinnamon and licorice notes lead the way until the very end. Conclusion: This year’s Feis Coal Ila is a lovely dram, It’s not as good as the 22-year-old from 2019 but it’s damn good, complex, sweet smoky, and fun. The Moscatel enhanced the whisky nicely without adding too many wine-y notes – I am sure Coal Ila lovers will enjoy it quite a bit. Good stuff, well done.