Review #705 - SMWS 53.477 'All Revved Up' - Caol Ila 13 Year

In early November of 2025, we had a chance to attend the outturn tasting for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's November 2025 releases for the United States. Typically, these outturn tastings consist of 6 or 7 different whiskies, and all of the tastings are done blind, with the bottles revealed only after tasting notes and guesses have been discussed. Most of the time, these bottles are single malt Scotch whiskies, but they originate at a variety of distilleries (the Societies has bottled whisky from over 150 distilleries), and there's a huge range of casks at are used for aging. This is 1 of 6 reviews from this month's outturn.

The first peated selection in this outturn tasting - this is a 13 year old Caol Ila named 'All Revved Up.' It sits in the Society's 'Lightly Peated' flavor category, which is a little unusual for a Caol Ila, but not unheard of.

The first 9 years of maturation were spent in an ex-bourbon hogshead, after which a 4 year finishing period was spend in a first fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead; that's a relatively long finishing period in sherry, meaning we could see a heavy fruity influence in this whisky. In the end, 296 bottles were yielded at a cask strength of 57.4% ABV, and this whisky is not chill filtered and natural color, just like all of the Society's whiskies.

SMWS 53.477 'All Revved Up' - Caol Ila 13 Year

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 195 (2025)

Age Statement: 13 Years

Strength: 57.4% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a first fill Spanish oak Oloroso sherry hogshead

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled June 1, 2010; 296 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed blind 1 time. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Both peaty and sweet - the scents combine for a savory, fatty bacon smell, and we get charcoal as well. The peat is relatively strong, stronger than we would have expected for this flavor profile; time brings accents of sea salt.

Palate: Like smoked bacon dipped in maple syrup. Quite savory and oily, and the peat now has a medium influence; sea salt, strawberries, and charred wood are also found.

Finish: Strawberries and balsamic vinegar, barbecued meats, and hints of perfume from the oak. Later in the aftertaste, it grows sweeter, with hints of passionfruit.

Final Note: This is a delicious Caol Ila, and it really showcases that tasty combination of strong peat smoke and sherry cask influence. This has nice fruit notes from the wine, but overall, it takes on a very savory flavor profile, especially notes like charred bacon. Absolutely packed with flavor - this was one of our two favorites from this SMWS outturn tasting.

Value is okay, just below average. The whisky is great, but this is also quite expensive; independently bottled Caol Ila has grown more pricy in recent years, but $195 for a 13 year old single malt seems to be pushing the envelope to us. Great whisky, but there could be more value elsewhere in the range, depending on your flavor preferences.

Our Average Rating: 8.5 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.86

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.