Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2011 Cask #307971 (Blackadder)

The bottler Blackadder released this Caol Ila, a 10 year old, distilled in 2011, from cask 307971, bottled at 56.4%, one of 295 bottles. Caol Ila makes a clean, maritime malt on the east coast of Islay. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

The spirit was worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, giving a clean, lemony peat. An American oak hogshead added vanilla and a light toffee. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make.

At 56.4%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with vanilla and a honeyed edge from the cask. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is a refined, citrus driven Islay smoke.