Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2015 Artist Collective 7.4 (Signatory)

From the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, an 8 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2015, bottled at 43%, one of 2753 bottles. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

Here the spirit was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and oak lactones a coconut sweetness, the guaiacol smoke bright and fresh. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years.

Reduced to 43%, it is mellow. Peat smoke, citrus and a soft oil, with a light bourbon sweetness. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.