Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2016 The Nectar of the Daily Drams (Signatory)

From the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 9 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2016, bottled at 58.4%, one of 300 bottles. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

It was made from medium phenol malt on soft Loch nam Ban water, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A fresh bourbon barrel lent vanilla, coconut and a fuller body. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. Phenols from the peat smoke carry the medicinal, lemony edge through the years. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

At a natural 58.4% it is full and oily. Smoke, lemon and a peppery oil, with honeyed oak underneath. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. A long, briny finish ends on lemon and soft smoke. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.