Caol Ila 9 Years Old 1991 Cask #10787 (Signatory)

A 9 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 1991 from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 10787, bottled at 43%, one of 465 bottles. Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay, vast yet refined. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

Here the spirit was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, giving the lighter Islay style its shape. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and sweet beneath the peat. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand.

At an easy 43% it is gentle. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with a light bourbon sweetness. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.