Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2010 Cask #311746 (BB&R)

A Caol Ila drawn by the London wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, distilled in 2010, from cask 311746, bottled at 55.1%, one of 280 bottles. Caol Ila is a maritime malt, matured within sound of the sea. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

Distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. A first fill sherry cask drove a deep, figgy, nutty character. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

At 55.1%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. Ashy smoke, lemon oil and a saline tang, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.