Caol Ila 11 Years Old 2009 Watt Whisky (Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd.)

A Caol Ila of an 11 year old chosen by the bottler Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd, distilled in 2009, bottled at 57.4%, one of 303 bottles. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

This was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A fresh bourbon barrel lent vanilla, coconut and a fuller body. By the integrating teens harsher congeners fade and ethyl esters build, lending a riper citrus over the softening peat. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it.

At its natural 57.4% it is concentrated. A bonfire smoke with lemon and sea salt, with honeyed oak underneath. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.