The Ultimate is a NDP from The Netherlands that focuses on Scotch similar to Signatory, Gordon & Macphail or Cadenhead’s. They source casks of whisky they think will do well on the market and then put them out into the northern part of the world. I bought this 2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years from a UK site for our Malt Nuts young Caol Ila tasting and enjoyed it well enough in the blind line up. I though it had a lot of character for being such a young whisky, but I haven’t revisited it since that day… until now.
In My Words (from the previous Malt Nuts Blind Tasting): 2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years
“Nose: Smoke, citrus, spice, vanilla and a buttery sweetness.
Palate: Smoke, citrus, spice, char and chalk.
Finish: Smoke, citrus, light fruit and a touch of mint.
Overall: B (83-86) This one was the opposite of 2A. It started muted and “meh”, but opened up and became more complex with a bit of air.”
In order to try and keep this review as objective as possible I didn’t look back at the above notes until after I had written the below review. I wanted to see the difference between a large scale tasting makes vs sitting at home and focusing. I also wanted to see if my tastes and / or the whisky had changed much since then. So without further adieu let’s get on with the 2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years review.
2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years Info
Region: Islay, Scotland
Distiller: Caol Ila
Bottler: The Ultimate
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: Refill Butt (sherry)
Age: 7 years
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $65
2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years Review
EYE
Tarnished gold
NOSE
Saline, iodine, smoked meat, plastic, oily nuts, buttery malty sweetness and bits of caramel, vanilla, waxy citrus and dried fruit. Really not too shabby. I’m liking it quite a bit.
PALATE
Fruit, peat, hazelnuts, vanilla cupcakes, saline, iodine, menthol and a generic “sweetness” with touches of caramel, spice and chalk. Yeah this is nice. I could do without the chalk, but not bad at all.
FINISH
Long chalky fade of smoked meat, vanilla cupcakes, spice, toffee and fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a heavy viscous feel.
OVERALL
The 2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years carries a nice, basic, Islay aroma and a palate that’s only a bit more robust. This is not a whisky that’s going to amaze you, but then do you really expect a 7-year-old Caol Ila to do that? I don’t. With something this young I’m just hoping for a “doesn’t suck” level of quality, so this being a bit better than “doesn’t suck” is quite nice.
Being a fairly basic Caol Ila there isn’t much else to say about the 2007 The Ultimate Caol Ila 7 Years, but this is the third The Ultimate release I’ve had in the last year and while all of them were young, they’ve all be interesting and decent. If you’re to the point of whisky nerdiness that you peruse the international markets then this is a brand to keep on your radar; they seem to pick good and interesting casks.
SCORE: 85/100 (B)
