Càrn Mòr Caol Ila 2012 Strictly Limited

The Maker

The Càrn Mòr range of independent bottlings is part of the Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers company. Starting out as Victorian grocers, the Morrison family company has gone through many guises over the years and is perhaps best known as Morrison & Mackay. Over the decades they’ve been involved with several distilleries, from Bowmore on Islay to Auchentoshan on the outskirts of Glasgow. Having sold on those concerns the latest rebrand came in 2020 following their opening of the new Aberargie Distillery.

While we await some releases from Aberargie, the company is pushing forward with a three stage Càrn Mòr range. First we have the ‘Strictly Limited’ series which includes a wide range of affordable annual releases of small batches all bottled at 47.5%. Next there’s the ‘Celebration of the Cask’ range which includes single cask (at cask strength) releases for those with a budget in the hundreds. Finally we have the ‘Family Reserve’ series which are yet to come to market. Expect these to be well out of reach of the average drinker as they will be some extremely limited single cask releases.

The Expression

One of ten 2021 Strictly Limited (just 1365 bottles) releases the 8 year old 2012 Caol Ila was matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts. Caol Ila needs little introduction as one of Islay’s foremost distilleries and part of the Diageo empire. Given that they produce over six and a half million litres of whisky each year, Caol Ila is a great friend to independent bottlers and mystery blend releasers alike, given that they always have plenty of casks spare to sell off to those wishing to experiment. Established in 1846 the distillery may not have the global name recognition of its Diageo Islay sister Lagavulin, but arguably produces the better products - being famed for richly peated releases that provide a more rounded and complex flavour than several of the big hitting Islay distilleries.

The Neck Pour

Initial scents are of smoke and spice (coriander seed and Szechuan pepper) then the big hit of Sherry sweatiness. The first thing which stuck me upon tasting was how balanced the smoke and Sherry is. All too often with sherried malts from heavily peated regions I find that the two flavours can compete against each other too much (sometimes the case with some Arran releases for example), but this one is much more complimentary. Beyond that there are hints of tobacco, then that pepperness returns for a long and lingering finish. The initial tasting left me with a sense that it’s makers clearly know what they are doing.

The Body

Retuning a few weeks later there’s definitely more complexity appearing. None of the above has gone, but now there’s a richer umami (almost meaty) flavour which is coming through at the bottom of the palate. The mouth feel itself is also seems thicker with the traditional Islay oiliness far more prominent. While I liked it initially it’s just got better with a little time to breath.

Final Thoughts

At the bottom of the bottle it's hard to come to any other conclusion than this was one of the most enjoyable whiskies i've had in the last year. Obviously it's hard to go wrong with any Caol Ila, but Morrison have managed to make the right choices to elevate it to another level. Not only would I recommend it, but i'll also be seeking other examples from their range in the near future.