Caol Ila Feis Ile 2015 17 Years Old 1998

Feis Ile 2015

700ml / 57.3%

Single Malt

$370

A distillery bottling of Caol Ila, a 17 year old, from 1998, at 57.3%. Soft ash and smoked citrus sit on an oily body, with grape, honey and a floral lift from the cask. Among the most widely traded of Islay’s single malts. The distillery sits below a steep brae on the shore. This is a clean island malt from the strait facing Jura.

Only 2 left in stock

Only 2 left

SKU CIL053 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

This distillery bottling of Caol Ila is a 17 year old, from 1998, at 57.3%, 1500 bottles in all. Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay, vast yet refined. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

Here the spirit was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, shaping the lighter side of Islay. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness beneath the smoke. Through oxidative maturity the phenols mellow and esters concentrate, citrus turning to candied lemon over a soft peat. Olive oil and lemon sit at the heart of the Caol Ila character. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island.

At a natural 57.3% it is full and oily. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with grape, honey and a floral lift from the cask. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.