Caol Ila 14 Years Old 2003 Cask #302325 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 14 year old, distilled in 2003, from cask 302325, bottled at 55.6%, one of 279 bottles. Caol Ila wears its Islay smoke more lightly than its southern neighbours. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

It was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, giving the lighter Islay style its shape. A bourbon barrel held it, the oak lending vanilla and a little cream. Through integration the spirit and cask settle, lactone coconut and a soft vanillin balancing the easing phenols. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.6%, it is intense. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with a gentle oak sweetness beneath. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is an elegant Islay single malt.