Caol Ila 15 Years Old DeDr Decadent Drams (Decadent Drinks)

The bottler Decadent Drinks bottled this Caol Ila, a 15 year old, bottled at 57.1%, one of 252 bottles. Caol Ila takes its name from the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

Here the spirit was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, giving a clean, lemony peat. A first fill sherry cask drove a deep, figgy, nutty character. In the oxidative middle years the spirit deepens, oxidation drawing out waxy fruit as the guaiacol smoke fades to embers. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make.

At its natural 57.1% it is concentrated. Ashy smoke, lemon oil and a saline tang, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is Caol Ila's lighter, maritime Islay smoke.