Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2008 Cask #314563E (The Single Cask Ltd.)

From the bottler The Single Cask Ltd, a 13 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2008, from cask 314563E, bottled at 57%, one of 76 bottles. Caol Ila is the largest distillery on the Isle of Islay. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

The spirit was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, shaping the lighter side of Islay. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. By the integrating teens harsher congeners fade and ethyl esters build, lending a riper citrus over the softening peat. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore.

At cask strength 57% it is muscular. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with a dry, nutty, savoury depth from the cask. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.