Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2007 (Beacon Spirits)

An 8 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 2007 from the bottler Beacon Spirits, bottled at 51.2%, one of 168 bottles. Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay, vast yet refined. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

Here the spirit was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and sweet beneath the peat. Early, extractive maturation draws vanillin (vanilla) and furfural (toasted almond) from the wood over a clean, phenolic smoke. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

Undiluted at 51.2%, it is powerful. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.