Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2008 Cask #4016789 (Duncan Taylor)

A Caol Ila of a 10 year old chosen by the bottler Duncan Taylor, distilled in 2008, from cask 4016789, bottled at 53.1%, one of 72 bottles. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

Here the spirit was worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, building a refined, maritime peat. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness beneath the smoke. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

At cask strength 53.1% it is muscular. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.