Caol Ila 17 Years Old 2007 Cask #2301847-48 (Murray McDavid)

The independent Murray McDavid bottled this Caol Ila, a 17 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 2301847-48, bottled at 53.2%, one of 174 bottles. Caol Ila looks out across the Sound to the Paps of Jura. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

Run through tall copper stills that keep the smoke light, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (pear and apple) and a waxiness, the phenols softening to a coastal whisper. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge. A clean smoke and a coastal salt define the distillery style.

At a natural 53.2% it is full and oily. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with a dry, nutty edge from the cask. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. The close is long, smoke over a citrus lift. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.