Caol Ila 11 Years Old 2010 Cask #323386 – 323392 (Wilson & Morgan)

A Caol Ila drawn by the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, distilled in 2010, from cask 323386-323392, bottled at 46%, one of 2483 bottles. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

This was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, building a refined, maritime 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. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make.

At 46% it is supple and oily. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with honeyed oak underneath. Lemon, olive oil and a soft ash run through the middle. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.