Caol Ila 12 and Laphroaig 10 are both easy to find, usually in supermarkets too, and both cost under £50. They come from opposite coasts of Islay and their cuts are just as far apart: Caol Ila is a fresh, citrusy whisky at 43%, with light, herbal smoke; Laphroaig is a whisky at 40% built on medicinal peat and iodine, with less body but more impact. In the UK the gap is small: £45-50 against £39-42.
Specs side by side
| Caol Ila 12 | Laphroaig 10 | |
|---|---|---|
| ABV | 43% | 40% |
| Age | 12 years | 10 years |
| Malt ppm | ~35 | ~40 |
| Casks | Mainly ex-bourbon | Ex-bourbon |
| Bottling | Chill-filtered, colouring added | Chill-filtered |
| Launch | 2002 | Early 1900s |
| Availability | Core range | Core range |
| Nose | Light, herbal smoke, lemon, citrus peel, lightly toasted malt; a saline thread; with air, biscuit, hay, white peach | Immediate peat with a clearly medicinal character: iodine, seaweed, brine, then vanilla and pale oak; after 10 minutes lemon and a toffee or pale honey sweetness |
| Palate | Dry, direct arrival; herbal, citrus smoke with lemon and grapefruit; sweet malt, white pepper, a saline current; lean texture | Dry, smoky entry with a firm saline backbone; vanilla, light caramel, a touch of liquorice and a fine peppery lift |
| Finish | Medium to long, dry, smoke fading into herbal notes and a trace of citrus | Medium, more dry than sweet: ash, brine, a medicinal tail, a liquorice echo and light woody bitterness |
| Price Italy | €45-55 online (September 2026) | €34-45 online (September 2026) |
| Price UK | £45-50 | £39-42 |
| Score | 84/100 | 84/100 |
What they share
Not much, judging by the spec sheets. Caol Ila belongs to Diageo and sits on the north-east coast near Port Askaig; Laphroaig belongs to Suntory Global Spirits and sits on the south coast, a few minutes from Port Ellen. Caol Ila buys all its malt from the Port Ellen Maltings; Laphroaig makes about a fifth of its own on its floor maltings, the rest coming from Port Ellen as well.
In the glass, though, they have plenty in common. Both are peated to around 35-40 ppm, both have a lean rather than oily body, and both carry a thread of lemon and salt under the smoke. Both are chill-filtered and the most representative bottlings of their distilleries.
Caol Ila 12
Caol Ila 12 has been a permanent bottling since 2002, when Diageo gave the distillery its first core range. Mainly ex-bourbon casks, 43%, chill-filtered and coloured; in September 2026 it sells for £45-50 in the UK.
Nose: the opening is clean: light smoke, more herbal than heavy, with immediate notes of lemon, citrus peel and lightly toasted malt. There is a saline thread, maritime, more like a coastal breeze than dense seaweed. With a few minutes of air, softer notes appear: biscuit, hay, a touch of white peach.
Palate: the arrival is dry and direct. Smoke comes forward immediately, herbal and citrus-driven, with lemon and grapefruit as the through-line. Underneath there is sweet malt, white pepper, a saline current that holds everything together. The texture is lean rather than oily.
Finish: medium to long, dry, with the smoke dissolving into herbal notes and a trace of citrus. Nothing particularly spiced or woody: the finish is consistent with the opening, clean and maritime.
Score: 84/100.
Laphroaig 10
Laphroaig 10 is the whisky the distillery has been known for since the early twentieth century: ten years in ex-bourbon casks, bottled at 40% and chill-filtered. It is the cheaper of the two at £39-42, and it often goes on offer.
Nose: immediate peat with a clearly medicinal character. Iodine, seaweed, brine, then vanilla and pale oak. After 10 minutes it tends to open up: a more defined lemon note appears and a sweetness like toffee or pale honey.
Palate: dry, smoky entry with a firm saline backbone. The medicinal element is present but does not take over: vanilla, light caramel, a touch of liquorice and a fine peppery lift.
Finish: medium, more dry than sweet. Ash, brine and a persistent medicinal tail, with a liquorice echo and light woody bitterness.
Score: 84/100.
Two different peated whiskies
With the peat at almost the same level, the cut makes the difference. Laphroaig waits 45 minutes before its first cut, the longest wait in the industry according to its website, which keeps the more tarry, herbal and medicinal notes in the spirit. Its lyne arms rise right up to the ceiling and, with a slow distillation, hold back the heavy oils: the result is light-bodied but full of character.
Caol Ila gets its lightness another way: six large stills and fermentations of 55-60 hours that bring out the fruit. The smoke is there, but it leans on lemon and grapefruit rather than iodine. It makes for a fresher, easier peated whisky, with two extra years and three more points of ABV giving it a little more roundness.
On price Laphroaig wins: about ten euros less in Italy and six to eight pounds less in the UK. Both appear in our list of peated whiskies under €50, and the Laphroaig is often discounted.
Lemon or iodine
Caol Ila 12 is for anyone who wants Islay peat in its cleanest form: citrus, herbs and salt in a fresh, easy-drinking whisky, even if it can taste younger than its age statement. Laphroaig 10 is for those after the island’s medicinal side: iodine, seaweed and ash, less aggressive than its reputation suggests but unmistakable from the first sip.
