Caol Ila 11 Years Old 2011 Cask #8+9 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Caol Ila, an 11 year old, distilled in 2011, from cask 8+9, bottled at 46%. Caol Ila is the lighter, more elegant face of Islay smoke. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company.

This was worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, building a refined, maritime peat. An Oloroso hogshead lent raisin, fig and a savoury edge. By the integrating teens harsher congeners fade and ethyl esters build, lending a riper citrus over the softening peat. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

At 46% it is clean and coastal. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with raisin and a caramelised nuttiness from the cask. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.