Caol Ila 12 Years Old BNSp (WhiskyHeroes)

The Haunting Songs – The WhiskyHeroes

700ml / 51.6%

Single Malt

$117

The bottler Brave New Spirits picked this Caol Ila, a 12 year old, at 51.6%. Smoke, sea spray and an oily lemon fill the glass, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Among the most widely traded of Islay’s single malts. The spirit is matured largely on the mainland. This is the smoky workhorse of Johnnie Walker in single malt form.

Only 2 left in stock

Only 2 left

SKU CIL168 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

A 12 year old Caol Ila, from the bottler Brave New Spirits, bottled at 51.6%, one of 694 bottles. Caol Ila takes its name from the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

It was made from medium phenol malt on soft Loch nam Ban water, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness beneath the smoke. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company.

At 51.6%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. The close is long, smoke over a citrus lift. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.