Using a macro lens, I took photographs of text on macOS 10.11. I don't know where your statement is originated. But here, the text is indeed displayed with subpixel rendering – on a Retina display.
Apologies, you're correct -- my information was wrong. [1] Now I'm curious to experiment myself to see if I could tell the difference! And congratulations on your excellent eyesight. :)
The only seeming authoritative source I could find that justifies why it was ultimately removed is from an "ex-macOS SWE" here [2].
