Caol Ila 12 Years Old 2013 100 Proof Edition #65 (Signatory)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 12 year old, distilled in 2013, bottled at 57.1%. Caol Ila is a workhorse of the blending halls and a favourite of malt drinkers. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

Drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.1%, it is intense. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.