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two Signatory UCF Caol Ilas

To follow up on a recent back and forth, I'm now comparing two Signatory UnChillFiltered Caol Ilas (46%), and to say it briefly, the older 11yr old December 1989 distillation (which is clearly amber in color) is mellow and mild with a few bright sparks and some long, pleasant peaty, leafty sweetness; but the 11yr old October 1991 distillation (which is clearly lighter in color--more a pale straw) is big, bright, spicy, terrifically industrially peaty, and wonderfully long. Even just taking a drop of each, the 1989 (which was kept in a 175ml bottle for the last two years) is mildly and tantalizingly nice--but a touch mellow--while the 1991 is a real super-clean long, punchy peat smack. If this is a trend (and not just the effect of decanting into a full 175 ml bottle for an extended period; or not just cask-to-cask variation) then I hope Caol Ila keep piling it on!

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt
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You ought to give the Cask Strength bottling from the distillery a try, assuming that you can find it. It may not be available in the US, I got mine in Amsterdam. A tremendous blast of peat and phenols with a very long finish. It's really a one-note whisky, but it does that one note extremely well...

feroce

Reply to
feroce

Well, I haven't tried any of theese, but if my 11 yo Dun Bheagan 1992 resembles any of your descriptions, it must definately be the 1991 one. It (the Dun Bheagan 92) is very very powerful, yet elegant and delicate, fresh, dry, and peaty, with a long, long finish, and water and air exposure brings out lots of peatsmoke. The best whisky on my modest little shelf.

Since you mention it, have you actually experienced noticable effects of decanting into full small bottles for long time storing? I have started to store a sample of most of the whiskies I buy now, in bottles usually 175 to

250ml. And I can't think of anything that should make an effect, given that the bottles are sufficiently clean. Unless the air exposure during decanting, followed by another period of storing...?? I would like to believe that I can keep some of those bottles for maybe 10 or 15 years with contents intact? But I have no experience with this.

Gunnar

"Douglas W. Hoyt" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...

Reply to
Gunnar Thormodsæter

I picked up a Dun Bheagan Caol Ila about two years ago and it was absolutely tops. Maybe I have a 175ml bottle of it buried somewhere so that I can compare it to the others!

bottles usually 175 to 250ml. And I can't think of anything that should make an effect, given that the bottles are sufficiently clean. Unless the air exposure during decanting, followed by another period of storing...?? I would like to believe that I can keep some of those bottles for maybe 10 or

15 years with contents intact? But I have no experience with this

I would hope 10 or 15 years or even far more. The exposure to air during decanting is the only worry I have (I avoid using soap when I prepare them--I tend to let them sit with cold tap water in them for a while and then rinse them repeatedly instead--at times I've cooked them in the microwave as well, but I don't do that anymore because I'm finding that my old microwave always has some kind of foody odor--and bacteria is not really an issue--I also only decant when there are no cooking smells or any other kind of possible odors in the kitchen). I think the only real test would be to buy two bottles of the same whisky, decant one while leaving the other unopened, and trying them both again in 15 years. If anyone reading this cares to volunteer to try this, I will avidly read their tasting notes in 15 years.

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

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