Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2013 Artist Collective #6.1 (LMDW)

The bottler La Maison du Whisky bottled this Caol Ila, a 9 year old, distilled in 2013, bottled at 48%, one of 1398 bottles. Caol Ila wears its Islay smoke more lightly than its southern neighbours. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

Distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, for the light, maritime smoke Caol Ila is known for. Years in ex-Bourbon wood lent a soft vanilla and a coastal calm. These first years are extractive, the oak giving lactones as coconut and vanillin as vanilla beneath a sharp, citrussy smoke. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company.

Bottled at a cask strength 48%, it is intense. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with a touch of vanilla and toffee. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.