Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2011 Cask #DL 15831 (Old Particular)

From the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, a 10 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2011, from cask DL 15831, bottled at 48.4%, one of 312 bottles. Caol Ila is prized for a smoke that leans to lemon and olive oil rather than tar. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

Made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, for the clean island smoke prized by blenders. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. Through integration the spirit and cask settle, lactone coconut and a soft vanillin balancing the easing phenols. Olive oil and lemon sit at the heart of the Caol Ila character. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays.

At a hearty 48.4% it carries real weight. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with a light vanilla and a touch of coconut. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is an elegant Islay single malt.