Caol Ila Distillers Edition

As far as I know there isn't one.. WAIT A MINUTE! as of April 11 of this year there is!

"Distillers Edition" is a marketing idea of Diageo and has a very specific meaning ..for me at least it means a good whisky ruined. What it does mean for most though is easier access to both the original and the DE versions of the whiskies as Diageo tends to push the marketing of them rather heavily. I've not seen any indication of when it might hit shelves, but there are good chances that when it is available world wide it will be available to you.

As I've said above I don't like the Distillers Editions, the Lagavoulin version is the only one I can say I like, but it isn't as good as the normal 16 y/o. There are lots of Caol Ila offerings available and almost all are IMO well worth trying.

I don't know where to recommend you go in BC, from what I've seen the prices and availability are not great there.

The main Willow Park store in Calgary or Chateau Louis in Edmonton have (had?) really good selections and great prices (and yes, as pathetic as it sounds I have actually flown out there just to buy booze), and Ontario's LCBO gets some great special deals even though you have to pay up for them .. (largest single purchaser of spirits in the world). The SAQ in Quebec does a not bad job either so I would assume that somewhere in Vancouver there will be a store that ... OK scratch that .. I just looked at the BC Liquor stores Online search .. unless there is a location that sells stuff that does not get on line the selection available is only fair.

always make a point of checking my itinerary here to find out where to shop at my destination..

Very interesting!

I really do like Caol Ila and Lagavoulin. I haven't tasted anything from those distilleries yet that I dislike.

Your comments about BC are too true. We do have a small selection here. Hence whenever one of us, or one of our friends go out of province (usually Alberta) we convert them into a mule for our Scotch needs. They are much rewarded though.

The life of a Scotch drinker.

cheers jon

I'm in Vancouver and visit family in Calgary once a year or so. I always bring back a few bottles. The Willow Park store is very good, but my relatives are all in the north and Willow Park is down there in traffic jam land in the deep south. But Kensington Wines (I think it's called) on Kensington Road near 14th Street is always worth a visit. It doesn't have a huge selection, but there's always some quality bottles that are not available in Vancouver. And the Alberta prices are better on stuff that is available at home, due to different provincial taxation policies.

In Vancouver, the very best selection in the provincial liquor store system is at 39th and Cambie. They are getting some interesting stuff in the last few years; I drooled over a bottle of Longrow last time I was there, but it was priced way beyond my budget.

bill

: As I've said above I don't like the Distillers Editions, the : Lagavoulin version is the only one I can say I like, but it isn't as : good as the normal 16 y/o.

I can't speak for the Caol Ila but FWIW it's my feeling that the Lagavulin Distillers Edition is so significantly different from the normal 16yo as to really be a different whisky. I like both very much and at any instant may prefer one over the other.

The Caol Ila may be the same - the Distiller's Edition may suprise you pleasantly!

Justin