Caol Ila 12 Years Old 1991 Cask #3214 (Dun Eideann)

The bottler Dun Eideann bottled this Caol Ila, a 12 year old, distilled in 1991, from cask 3214, bottled at 46%. Caol Ila is an east coast Islay distillery on the strait facing Jura. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

It was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. Years in ex-Bourbon wood lent a soft vanilla and a coastal calm. By the integrating teens harsher congeners fade and ethyl esters build, lending a riper citrus over the softening peat. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright.

At an approachable 46% it is balanced. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with vanilla and a soft caramel from the wood. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.