ralfy review 1039 - Caol Ila 15yo @55.2%vol: Feis Ile 2022 (Auction)

[@LipovBog]

Just discovered your channel few days ago. I am enjoying your reviews and your general knowledge about things with your deep thinking/analyzing twist. It's a pleasure to learn from you. Enjoy your days!

[@NoteworthyWhisky]

Can you imagine Springbank putting out a bottle of that quality for the Campbeltown festival? Not a chance. Cheers, Ralfy!

[@christophermallory2222]

I just picked up a 15 year Duncan Taylor Caol Ila 15Yr. It's excellent. It's near or at cask strength at 51.8%

[@ravindranramiah6336]

Hi Ralfy, I am getting really fussy with my purchases and choices now, great information, I don’t pay exorbitant prices anymore and I refuse to do even though I am in Australia , if it’s quality I’ll pay a little more but I learnt that there are many options out there than to pay stupid prices for stupid quality whisky. I have a Bhunna Feis release which I plan to open next year. Hope it’s better than the Laga and Caol

[@whompbiscuits8930]

10:49 - OMG, I think that's the first time I've seen Ralfy with a Glencairn this year!

[@robfut9954]

Thumbnails look like he’s a wine reviewer, can’t be helping him with KZbin

[@Halfpenster]

Can you make a video that summarizes your highest malt scores for whiskeys in different price ranges? I think it would be a great video.

[@richardallen1473]

This is a bit off topic but a friend had visited the DAILUAINE distillery and brought back 16 YEAR OLD - FLORA & FAUNA For me an amazing scotch. Anyway he stated they used to employ 80 people but now with automation they are down to 4. Is this whats happening in general? Just curious if this is a trend.

[@danielgardiner9488]

Hi Ralfy, I just won a bottle of spice tree banned edition on auction £150 hammer price. Last month compass box announced they have discontinued spice tree for good.

[@danielgardiner9488]

@spawik6862 overpaid, underpaid more like. This is the banned edition, not the core range lol.

[@phillipcollins1103]

I am a stuck record I admit it but I wouldn’t touch a diageo product with a barge pole

[@elduderino3120]

Same. They’ve destroyed some once-great brands.

[@DominikK45]

No point buying Caol Ila OB when there are so many good IB around...

[@KNURKonesur]

100%

[@augustmay444]

New whisky guy here. What's OB and IB?

[@utoobia]

@@augustmay444OB = Official (Distillery) Bottling, IB = Independent Bottling (by the likes of Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail et al)

[@jacobandersen2381]

Original Bottler - Independent Bottler

[@triktrak_1451]

@@augustmay444 Welcome to the fray.

[@robfut9954]

Ralfy, do you think it’s possible that the lower scores recently may be down to using a different style of glass than you’ve been using over the past decade? Different glasses make a huge difference in wine, maybe it is affecting the experience

[@majornut9728]

Nice review, Ralfy. I have started to look at IB of Caol Ila as I like the official releases but would like to try an integrity bottling unchill filtered and no colour added.

[@125ctg]

‘Integrity’ bottling. FFS grow up and wake up. You won’t be able to taste the difference. It’s a social media/KZbin wank promoted by tossers like a Ralfy.

[@gyoshitake]

Hello Ralfy, another great video! This is one of the best vids you've released, and it hits very hard to the honesty about the many aspects of Feis Ile bottle releases, and what happens if you get caught up in the hype! Personally speaking, I've purchased many from auctions myself, and fortunately, I have been mostly satisfied with my purchases, but there are a few i've had where I had to ask myself 'Was it worth the purchase ?'

[@djscottdog1]

For the isla festival they should be bottling a blend of bb1s , 2s and3s maybe some refills for balance, dont need to do fancy reracks just compitant maturation. Spoilers thats the make up of glen cadam 13. Your saying chared but chances are it was all refill hogs heads and due to very little cask influence after 15 years it was a case of lets rerack this into virgin oak for 6 months that been charred extra. Refill hogsheads are just the absolute worst casks you get.

[@carlubambi5541]

Thank you

[@Hexagonal_Crank]

We were at Feis Ile this year and the Caol Ila shop still had a ton of these in stock. It's fine, but picking it up at auction probably would have been cheaper XD

[@markoneill5110]

For me, the benchmark for value in festival bottlings is Glen Scotia in Campletown

[@kevinnordby4808]

Great review Ralfy! I followed along with an Adelphi 9 year old bourbon cask Caol Ila and it sounds like my money was better spent than yours. Thanks for taking the time to help us make better decisions on how to spend our money. Always appreciated.

[@elduderino3120]

My most recent peated purchase was a PC10 for under €50. Definitely money better spent!

[@hudibrad]

Hey Ralfy, I wondered, whether there is any difference to maturing spirit in an inactive cask, and maturing in glass, or stainless steel vats? Especially, since armagnac can be matured this way, and it seems to work well.

[@fredlabosch5164]

So, basically what I'm getting of what you're saying is that this is an _okay_ 15yo cask strength Caol Ila, tasting like a 10yo, which people bought for £160. Sounds like a _very_ disappointing buy to me!

[@WhiskyLoversSociety]

Buying on auction is definitely something I would like to try but unfortunately getting it into Belgium would be a costly endeavour due to import duty and taxes. Thanks for this video.

[@wilseph1]

A lot of us are experiencing this vicariously through Ralfy!

[@ptahr4149]

There are some other auctions with a EU warehouse like whiskyauctioneer or whiskyauction. For whiskyauctioneer you have to set the filter just for the bottles stored in the EU warehouse.

[@WhiskyLoversSociety]

@@ptahr4149 Thanks. I will take a look.

[@augustmay444]

I travel regularly to Belgium. Get it tough if you want to sort something out.

[@triktrak_1451]

I would love to see a Coal Ila response to this.

[@thomasmclennon4746]

Oh, Lord. Now Islay will be overrun in September and October by Ralfy fans.

[@joeydupre6153]

A hogshead is a bigger barrel......approx. 2.5 times as big as a standard barrel. That may have an effect on the flavor.

[@riveness]

It does with beer casks, though the move I know is from firkin to Kilderkin to (rarely) barrel

[@michaelwood3203]

I’m pretty sure that for just under £100 a much better bottle of whisky, perhaps even two could be purchased. It is such a shame to hear this special bottle of Caol Ila is not good enough.

[@pawkrw]

Agree, I would highly recommend inde bottled Caol Ila 10yr sherry cask - awesome drop and massive bang for buck too 😊

[@colonelpercival2832]

Distiller's edition all the way!

[@DavidUKesb]

Is Feis Ile still as popular today as it was ten years ago? Thanks

[@KNURKonesur]

not tried this one, but going through a bottle of the 2021 12yo version and somehow I'm struggling to like it... with all the Port Charlottes, Laphroaigs, even Ledaigs or Ballechins - none of them have a dirty plaster-like sooty note this Caol Ila has and some other OB ones from them have, somehow I've had amazingly tasty IB Caol Ilas throughout the years that never had that aftertaste that ruins the pleasure of drinking... I'll stick to Port Charlotte, about to finish my last bottle of MRC:01, still my fav whisky, love the bacon rasher smokiness of PC. only one I've not tried is the MC:01, maybe time for that?

[@beataignioranza]

Dear Ralfy, I'd really like to hear your honest opinion on sipping quality whisky without swallowing (but spitting it instead). Maybe stuff for an extra… 😅 I'm concerned about the health effects of alcohol, especially its effects on sleep quality (which seem to be quite substantial) since I usually drink at night, so before going to sleep. Sipping and spitting sound like the perfect way to 'have my cake and eat it too', but… would I be losing part of the experience? If yes how much of it? I think you're the right person to answer, without all the macho stuff that always comes with such questions, you know…

[@danilo071983]

Hi ralfy, im from Brasil and really appreciate watching your videos. I would very much like to get your opinion on some new whisky from Brasil. Have you seen anything from Lamas yet? They are producing some peated whisky with peat from Argentina.. quite different

[@triktrak_1451]

I'd love to try that. I'm in Chicago, and I find none of it here. I wonder about their distribution?

[@danilo071983]

@@triktrak_1451 they are selling on Amazon here, don't know if it ships overseas

[@danilo071983]

@@triktrak_1451 I've tried their smoked malt, but not the peated, they developed a smoker with a kind of liptus wood, quite interesting after the bottle got some O2, mid downwards.. before that there was a bit too much taste of beer in the distilled for my taste that is

[@triktrak_1451]

@@danilo071983 Interesting!

[@andreasinobelarusmcewen5000]

If you mix danish beer with vodka it kind of tastes like whisky.

[@charleswindsor1184]

Tell me, what's a Virgin American Oak?

[@midimax]

I have been to Feis Ile three times (before 2019) and the Caol Ila Special Releases were not special at all except their prices.

[@kellyj5389]

Imho. Caol ila is the bottom feeder of Islay. As is Bowmore

[@martindouwe6099]

Scotch Whisky Auction I would avoid. They are the most unfriendly people I have ever encountered. No service when they loose a bottle during transport. And when you complain they simply block your account and you never see your entrance fee back

[@jaylat4578]

Caol Ila 12 was the first whisky that got me into whisky so I’ll always have a soft spot for them but Diageo treats them poorly. It’s a shame. Wasted potential

[@tonefish3825]

An annual event where they dump mediocre whiskey on tourists.

[@christinecamley]

I'd be in pure bliss as a huge peat head!! Amazing thoughts/review Ralfy!! So appreciated!! 🙂

[@utoobia]

Hmmm. Can’t agree with Ralfy on this one at all - I had to check the labels because I thought mine must be a different batch. Nope. Halfway through the bottle and it is very good. Not “competent”, not “good” but very good. 86+ 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@PatrikBruckner]

82 points..generous.

[@dane5896]

Pushing inferiority stuff during the festival is wrong. 👎