Caol Ila 12 Years Old A Dream of Scotland Fairytale Series (Br��hler Whiskyhaus)

From the bottler Br��hler Whiskyhaus, a 12 year old Caol Ila, bottled at 52.3%, one of 437 bottles. Caol Ila was rebuilt in the 1970s into the large distillery it is today. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

The spirit was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, for the clean island smoke prized by blenders. A red wine cask lent berry fruit and a dry, tannic edge. Through integration the spirit and cask settle, lactone coconut and a soft vanillin balancing the easing phenols. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

At a full 52.3% it is bold and oily. Peat smoke, citrus and a soft oil, with plum and red berry from the cask. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. A long, briny finish ends on lemon and soft smoke. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.