🥃 Caol Ila 18 Year Old
18-year-old single malt whisky from Caol Ila on Islay; 43% ABV per the producer; a fuller and more complex style.
Caol Ila 18 Year Old is an 18-year-old single malt Scotch whisky from Islay. The producer page on Malts.com lists 43% ABV, while Difford's Guide gives 40%, so check the label on your own bottle. According to the producer, the profile is fuller and more intense than in the younger expressions.
Production. The basis is the same as across the Caol Ila range: heavily peated barley malt and double distillation. According to Whiskypedia, the single malt matures in refill casks; the sources do not name the cask type for the 18-year-old. The producer describes notes of a smoky bonfire, sea air, salt and pepper, and a long, charred finish. The expression won an IWSC gold medal in 2008/2009.
Why it matters to you. Compare it with the 12-year-old: age adds depth, not strength. Different sources give different strengths, so trust the label. The age on the label refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
Facts
| Year founded | Caol Ila distillery: 1846 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Single Malt Scotch Whisky; Islay) |
| EU category | 2: whisky/whiskey |
| Raw material | heavily peated barley malt |
| Distillation method | twice, copper pot stills |
| Cask type | refill casks; the exact cask type for the 18 Year Old is not named in the sources |
| Minimum maturation | 18 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 43% ABV per the producer; 40% per Difford's Guide |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Caol Ila 18 Year Old → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Caol Ila, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Islay whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 Lagavulin, 🥃 Laphroaig, 🥃 Caol Ila 12 Year Old, 🥃 Caol Ila 12 Year Old, 🥃 Caol Ila 25 Year Old, 🥃 Caol Ila 25 Year Old
Frequently asked questions
Is Caol Ila 18 really 40%?
Difford's Guide lists 40%, while the producer on Malts.com lists 43%. Follow the label of your specific bottle.
How does the 18-year-old differ from the 12-year-old?
According to the producer, it is fuller and more intense, with a longer finish.
Has the expression won any awards?
According to Malts.com, a gold medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2008/2009.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Peated whisky — Whisky with a smoky aroma from malt dried over a peat fire; it is a style, not a separate legal category.
- 🥃 Laphroaig — Distillery and brand of peated single malt whisky on the island of Islay, founded in 1815; it has its own malting floors and uses Islay peat smoke.
Similar
🥃 Caol Ila Moch · 🥃 Caol Ila 25 Year Old · 🥃 Caol Ila 12 Year Old · 🥃 Lagavulin 16 Year Old · 🥃 Kilchoman Machir Bay · 🥃 Kilchoman Sanaig
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Malts.com: Caol Ila 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (18 years, 43 %, tasting notes, IWSC 2008/2009 gold)
- Difford's Guide: Caol Ila 18 Year Old (18 years; Difford's lists 40 %, brand lists 43 %)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): Caol Ila (range: Moch, 12, 18, 25; 12 Year Old, 2002, first permanent official bottling; refill casks)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)