Discovery Caol Ila 13 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70 cl, *DCCAOL-13-43-70-6

This is a proper step up form a standard Caol Ila. Clearly the team behind this one know what they’re doing. I won’t go into loads of detail here, there’s plenty of reviews online to see if it’s for you. But much better than a standard bottling. Good stuff. Will be back for more.

I'm not the biggest fan of Caol Ila. I like both peated (including Smokehead, Talisker, Ardbeg) and unpeated (Highland Park, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Aberlour 12) whiskies, but never been a great fan of Caol Ila. This however changed with this bottling. I decided to take a punt, and so glad I did. It's got a lovely smoky / citrus nose, which follows through into its distinctive smoky & fruity palate. The smoke really doesn't overwhelm, and complements the other flavours. It's expensive (for me), so an occasional treat, but well worth it.

This is a really, really good whisky for the money. It is the soul of Caol Ila but all grown up and refined. It's more approachable than the regular bottlings with a more delicate smoke and complex palate.

I normally go for heavily-peated Islays, so I'm glad I took a chance on this - each sip has made me smile! It's a gorgeous, custardy, smooth dram, and the Islay peat and smoke sits in the background. Would definitely recommend this, both to fans of Islay and to those who prefer something else. It's a little bit like Caol Ila Moch.

One of the best Indie bottles I’ve ever tasted, so refined and soft but bursting with flavour, slightly different to the usual Caol Ila offerings

Great flavour. Gets better after a week if you can restrain yourself and not gulp it down in 2 sittings! Waiting for it to be on offer again around £36 and I'll grab a few bottles

Unpleasant on the palate and nose avoid like the plague

This is a good whiskey