Caol Ila 26 Years Old 1983 The Perfect Dram III (The Whisky Agency)

The bottler The Whisky Agency bottled this Caol Ila, a 26 year old, distilled in 1983, bottled at 55.3%, one of 240 bottles. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

Here the spirit was worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, giving a clean, lemony peat. An Oloroso hogshead lent raisin, fig and a savoury edge. In the oxidative and evaporative years the angel's share concentrates the spirit, tropical esters of mango and pineapple emerging as the smoke fades to a soft ash. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine.

At a full 55.3% it is bold and oily. Ashy smoke, lemon oil and a saline tang, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.