Caol Ila 16 Years Old 1991 Finest (Hart Brothers)

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler Hart Brothers, distilled in 1991, bottled at 46%, one of 205 bottles. Caol Ila has been bottled at every age from young and fierce to old and waxy. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

Drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for a clean, coastal, oily make. First fill bourbon gave it a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut. Oxidative maturity brings a waxy, fruity depth, ethyl esters of orchard fruit building as the peat turns gentle and coastal. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. A clean smoke and a coastal salt define the distillery style. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with honeyed oak underneath. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.