Caol Ila 10 Years Old 1993 Cask #9945 (High Spirits’ Collection)

The bottler High Spirits' Collection selected this Caol Ila, a 10 year old, distilled in 1993, from cask 9945, bottled at 46%, one of 339 bottles. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

Here the spirit was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building a refined, maritime peat. A second fill bourbon cask kept the oak in the background. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

At 46% it is clean and coastal. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.