Caol Ila 25 Years Old 1995 Cask #10024 (Wilson & Morgan) (59.8%)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, a 25 year old, distilled in 1995, from cask 10024, bottled at 59.8%, one of 240 bottles. Caol Ila is the largest distillery on the Isle of Islay. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand.

It was run through tall copper stills that keep the smoke light, building a refined, maritime peat. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. At this oxidative, evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a polished, drying structure while slow oxidation brings waxy tropical fruit over a ghost of peat. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass.

At a hearty 59.8% it carries real weight. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. An oily smoke coats the palate, citrus and brine behind. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.