Caol Ila 11 Years Old 1990 Cask #99/300 1 (Private Collection)

An 11 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 1990 from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, from cask 99/300 1, bottled at 40%, one of 400 bottles. Caol Ila has distilled at Port Askaig since the middle of the 19th century. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge.

The spirit was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, giving a clean, lemony peat. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. Through the integration phase spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as the guaiacol phenols mellow into a softer smoke. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with a touch of vanilla and toffee. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is a maritime, lemony Islay single malt.