Caol Ila 11 Years Old 2010 Cask #319104 (Global Whisky Limited)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the bottler Global Whisky Limited, an 11 year old, distilled in 2010, from cask 319104, bottled at 58.2%. Caol Ila is a maritime malt, matured within sound of the sea. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

The spirit was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. Maturation in an Oloroso cask laid dried fruit over the make. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it.

At a hearty 58.2% it carries real weight. Smoke, grapefruit and a maritime salt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. Ash, lemon and brine draw out the close. This is a maritime, lemony Islay single malt.