Caol Ila 6 Years Old 2014 Cask #19891 (Meadowside Blending)

The bottler Meadowside Blending selected this Caol Ila, a 6 year old, distilled in 2014, from cask 19891, bottled at 56.2%, one of 240 bottles. Caol Ila sends more spirit to independent bottlers than almost any malt. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

Here the spirit was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. A bourbon barrel held it, the oak lending vanilla and a little cream. In its extractive youth the spirit takes vanillin vanilla and lactone coconut quickly, the peat phenols vivid and lemony. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

At cask strength 56.2% it is muscular. A clean ashy smoke with lime and brine, with vanilla and a soft caramel from the wood. Lemon, olive oil and a soft ash run through the middle. The finish is clean, smoky and maritime. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.