Welcome back to another fine pairing of two single malts, where I try to pick some very closely-related whiskies and then tease out the tiny differences to really understand them. I’m writing this in real-time as I taste this Scotch side-by-side (okay, I may return a few days later to make some minor corrections on spelling and grammar, which, for some reason, gets worse as the tasting progresses). Hopefully, I’ll learn something new along the way, and then, of course, I’ll pick a favourite. I’m pretty excited about this one, to be honest, so let’s get to it, but first, we need music! Now Playing: Best of 2022 : Music For Your Stationary Travels.

I’m starting with a 2021 bottling of an 8-year-old Talisker, which was part of Diageo Special Releases. I’ve sampled this bottle on many occasions before (mine is still half-full), and I have previously compared it against a “regular” 10-year-old Talisker in this write-up. In that article, I noted my interest in comparing it to a Caol Ila, but I specifically referenced the 2022 Fèis Ìle release from the distillery. I was about to pull that bottle from my shelves, but I thought it a bit of an unfair comparison, with the Caol Ila being nearly double the age and a bit lighter in Alcohol By Volume (ABV) [it’s 55.2%]. So instead, I spotted an independent bottling by Elixir Distillers (ElD) of Caol Ila – it was only a year older and only 0.2% lighter! Now that’s more of a fair game. I think the only other difference is that the Talisker is a vatted batch of “Heavily Peated Refill Casks”, bottled at a cask strength of 59.7%, while the Caol Ila is a single cask Hosghead, bottled at 59.5%. Both must be from ex-bourbon casks, and both are uncoloured and non-chill filtered (yay!), so the vatting and the actual spirit are the biggest difference [of course, the quality of the cask also matters!]. Right, so both of these have now spent about 10 minutes in my Glen Cairn glasses, and now it’s time to nose them a bit. The Talisker is sharp, smoky, and grassy, with a hint of bananas somewhere in the distance. The Caol Ila is a little sweeter on the nose, already more textured [can I smell the bitterness?], and the alcohol vapours seem a bit rougher as they enter my air passages. I’ll take a sip of San Pellegrino to prepare my palate and go in for the first taste neat.

The Talisker is sweet and salty and then sweet again, moving in waves between an ex-bourbon profile and a bit of smoke hiding in the corners. The label says it’s “from a selection of our smokiest reserves“, and my previous write-up mentioned that the whisky itself was matured in heavily peated refill casks. I think the malt was peated too, but in this case, the casks’ previous occupiers’ influence is present in the flavour. Since Diageo also owns Caol Ila, these refill casks could just as well have come from them. With that said, they could have also come from Lagavulin. Or they could be from Talisker’s previous “heavily peated” releases [were there any?]. Alas, we’ll never know. The Caol Ila is a bit woodsier [something I noticed with casks bought up by Elixier Distillers before], and the flavour is more stable, without those waves of sweetness and salt, with a bit more smoke on the palate. I’ll add a drop of water to both to let the alcohol molecules break up and release the flavoured oils in my glass. Back to the Talisker again. It stabilised and now resembles the Talisker that I know [albeit at a higher ABV]. The mouthfeel is compact and pungy, with the alcohol making itself known [all the way down], but it’s not a thick and oily dram. It’s more like a pony rather than a horse. The Caol Ila is more textured with more umami, but it’s rough with oakiness, and the cask presence is slightly more upfront than I prefer. It’s missing that familiar Caol Ila lightness that I’m used to. Let’s add more water again – both of these were nearly 60%, and I’m honestly surprised how much my palate has become used to drinking cask-strength Scotch.

Distillery / Region	Talisker / Island	Caol Ila / Islay
Producer	Diageo	Diageo
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / Special Releases 2021	Elixir Distillers / The Single Malts of Scotland
Stated Age / Vintage	8 years old / 2013?	9 years old / 2009
Cask type	“Heavily Peated Refill Casks”	“Hosgead”
ABV / Cask Strength	59.7% / Yes	59.5% / Yes
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes (?) 🌟	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	£93	£63
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes – getting better every single day!	No / No – too much oak
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Yes / Yes – always drink cask strength!	No / No – a shame, since I love Caol Ila.

Caol Ila softened up with water, but so did the remainder of its profile. It turned into a softer purring kitten, whereas it was a sharp-clawed cat before. But what about the pony? Ah, there it is, it now turned smooth, with a wonderful accent of maritime smokiness punching through those sweet bananas. Definitely rounder and a lot more pleasant than before. Yes, the Caol Ila is still a little edgy in the corners, and for this, I really blame this particular cask. So with that said, I’ll pause here and proclaim the Talisker 8-year-old as the winner of this round! Perhaps I will compare it to the distillery bottling of the Caol Ila after all (sneaks off to pour a dram of that Fèis Ìle).