Caol Ila 11 Years Old 1991 Cask #1104 – 06 (Signatory)

An 11 year old Caol Ila from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 1104-06, bottled at 43%. Caol Ila looks out across the Sound to the Paps of Jura. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

The spirit was distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, giving a clean, lemony peat. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the spirit. Through the integration phase spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as the guaiacol phenols mellow into a softer smoke. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat.

At 43% it is clean and coastal. Sea spray, smoke and a citrus lift, with a touch of vanilla and toffee. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. Ash, lemon and brine draw out the close. This is a maritime, lemony Islay single malt.