Caol Ila 10 Years Old 2008 Cask #7 (Signatory)

A 10 year old Caol Ila from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 7, bottled at 59.2%, one of 708 bottles. Caol Ila wears its Islay smoke more lightly than its southern neighbours. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

The spirit was drawn off a high cut from peated barley, for a clean, coastal, oily make. Maturation in an Oloroso cask laid dried fruit over the make. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays.

At a hearty 59.2% it carries real weight. Peat smoke, citrus and a soft oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is an elegant Islay single malt.