Caol Ila Feis Ile 2014 12 Years Old 2002

Feis Ile 2014

700ml / 55.5%

Single Malt

$269

A 12 year old Caol Ila from the distillery, 2002, at 55.5%. The peat here is bright and lemony over an oily, maritime body. Its casks mature within sound of the sea. The spirit is matured largely on the mainland. Its tall stills give a lighter, cleaner island spirit. This is a clean island malt from the strait facing Jura.

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SKU CIL060 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

Caol Ila, a distillery release, a 12 year old, from 2002, at 55.5%, 1500 bottles in all. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

This was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, for a clean, coastal, oily make. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and sweet beneath the peat. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays.

Undiluted at 55.5%, it is powerful. Smoke, grapefruit and a maritime salt, with a creamy oak note. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.