Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2011 Cask #315841 + 315842 (Signatory)

An 8 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 2011 from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 315841 + 315842, bottled at 46%. Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay, vast yet refined. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

Here the spirit was made from medium phenol malt on soft Loch nam Ban water, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. A second fill bourbon cask kept the oak in the background. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

At 46% it is soft, oily and bright. A lemony Islay smoke over olive oil, with a light vanilla and a touch of coconut. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. The finish is clean, smoky and maritime. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.