Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2015 Cask #378487 (James Eadie)

A 9 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 2015 from the bottler James Eadie, from cask 378487, bottled at 54.9%, one of 341 bottles. Caol Ila sends more spirit to independent bottlers than almost any malt. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

The spirit was distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness beneath the smoke. In these extractive early years the oak surrenders vanillin as vanilla and cis oak lactones as coconut, while guaiacol carries a vivid, lemony peat smoke. Olive oil and lemon sit at the heart of the Caol Ila character. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types.

Undiluted at 54.9%, it is powerful. A fresh peat smoke over oily lemon, with a dry, nutty edge from the cask. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.