Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2012 Cask #327590 + 327597 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Caol Ila, a 9 year old, distilled in 2012, from cask 327590 + 327597, bottled at 46%. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

It was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. Years in ex-Bourbon wood lent a soft vanilla and a coastal calm. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. Olive oil and lemon sit at the heart of the Caol Ila character. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. A smoky, briny coastal character, with a quiet vanilla under the smoke. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is a refined, citrus driven Islay smoke.