Caol Ila 1968 GM

Overall rating
93.64/100
votes
70
Whiskybase ID
WB22494
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Gordon & MacPhail (GM)
Bottling serie
Cask Series
Vintage
1968
Strength
58.5 % Vol.
Size
750 ml
Label
Old Beige Label
Bottled for
Meregalli Import
Market
Italy Italy
Added on
05 jun 2011 7:11 pm
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredCask Strength
Caol Ila 1968 GM
Photo by QuarterCentury

Average value

€ 1250.00

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70 × member ratings

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Whisky reviews for Caol Ila 1968 GM

10 users have left 10 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 93.64 points.

  1. detachedblue scored this whisky 94 points Connoisseur

    Clean sherry cask, heavy body spirits, very balanced and integrated. An interesting example of how great old Caol Ila was.
    • Nose
      Very salty and dark, rich sherry influence from a top-tier clean sherry cask, but maybe a refill cask. Fresh grapes and red fruits, I could suggest strawberry jam and ripe apple. Then you can find a heavy peat backbone, gunpowders, a touch of herb medicine.
    • Taste
      Extremely sweet and minty, sherry still plays its roles, very leathery and floral. Some pencil peel and herbs. It is very spicy due to high alcohol contents, but overall it is very clean and juicy. Then it becomes ultimately minty.
      With water: It just becomes perfection! Tons of seaweeds and dried fruits, fermented beancurd, dynamic!
    • Finish
      Long bitter finish, fresh, leathery and minty.

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  3. vijaychan scored this whisky 95 points Member Senior

    It's a very different experience from any other whisky in the 1960s，compare with Bowmore 1965 full proof，Longmore 1964，Springbank 10 55.6 Sutti，Glen garioch 1968...The smell is complex and wonderful. With development and changes are fantastic. It is the best Caol ila。

  4. HansG scored this whisky 95 points Expert Senior

    Tasted alongside with Bowmore 1965 Soffiantino Full Proof. Though in different flavor profile, this one totally outperformed.
    Similar flavor profiles to 15yo Zenith, but more complex in structure and profile.

  5. Baanaanaabob scored this whisky 97 points Connoisseur

    IMHO the best Caol Ila ever bottled. I like it much more than the 68 Samaroli, and the other "Cask" that I was lucky enough to try: the integration of peat and sherry is amazing, the OBE also gives some great tropical notes, along with herbs, yellow fruits, subtle ash, toffee, orange, more citrus think grapefruit, a never ending finish , the balance is just perfect.

  6. RaWeDo scored this whisky 95 points Expert Senior

    Sherry, farm notes, iodine notes, cowshed notes, cold campfire notes, citrus notes, brilliant sweetness,
    Absolutely brilliant Islay representative !!

  7. DarthDronach scored this whisky 96 points Expert Senior

    Outstanding old skool whisky:
    Sweet-savory, even somewhat perfumy, with notes of tea, candid oranges and smoke.

  8. rampah scored this whisky 97 points Expert Senior

    Very close to perfection.

    The Nose starts very strong, but taste & finish are insanenly good.

    Outstanding stuff, imagine the price for these bottlings back in the day...
    • Nose
      95 95
    • Taste
      98 98
    • Finish
      97 97

  9. Horror_Vacui scored this whisky 97 points Expert Senior

    Nose:
    Incredibly dense, concentrated, even in the 1920 Blender's glass stands out no alcohol.
    Strong smoke, a coal cellar, smoldering flotsam.
    The sherry barrel brings red fruits (plums, figs), a certain sweetness and also your herbs (cardamom, clove).
    Unmistakably Caol Ila the citrus fruits: grapefruit and orange. The oranges are sweet, more like an orange marmalade.
    With some time in the glass (30 minutes) the herbs produce clearer, almost a high-quality herbal liqueur. Also comes a mineral aromas: wet stones, grated limestone, some gunpowder.
    After a good one hour, it gets darker, espresso, cocoa, the fruits become darker, dark berries and dates.

    With a few drops of water, the malt opens even more. All the flavors come out at once, yet the malt does not dissipate but retains a smoky-sweet-spicy aroma with the splash of orange.
    Brennereicharakter and barrel are wonderfully balanced here: great!

    The nose is just great in its tightness, playfulness without frazzling and the aromas and especially the powerful intensity.

    Mouth:
    Here, the alcohol then emerges but briefly, the tip of the tongue slices.
    A smoky carpet with Jaffa biscuits, red fruits, some leather, Christmas spices and grapefruit.
    The orange is very strong here, especially with water. Black tea, some dried fruit (dates and figs) and chewing tobacco come to the fore after some time in the mouth. Dark chocolate with salt. The herbs appear here a little fresher in the form of a herbal candy. A touch of peppermint.
    All carried and reinforced by a strong oiliness that makes the flavors extremely concentrated and powerful. Almost as if you mix all the above in a blender, thicken again and distill to this whisky.

    Finish:
    Almost forever.
    After half an hour, the flavors are still present. Ash, some fruit, herbs, a touch of leather

    Conclusion:
    There are still so many Caol Ila to explore, but I find it hard to believe that this one can be surpassed here.
    This concentrated and flawless nose, this power in the mouth and the long, long finish. The balance. In addition, the slightly heavier and smokier style of the old distillery.

    From my current wealth of experience, and that this whisky meets exactly my preferences:
    97/100

  10. P.A.O.K.you_are scored this whisky 92 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      93 93
    • Taste
      92 92
    • Finish
      92 92

  11. checkpointrk scored this whisky 95 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      95 95
    • Taste
      95 95
    • Finish
      94 94

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