Caol Ila 12 Years Old 2010 Cask #Batch 2 (BB&R)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the London wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, a 12 year old, distilled in 2010, from cask Batch 2, bottled at 46%, one of 1128 bottles. Caol Ila takes its name from the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays.

Here the spirit was distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, building a refined, maritime peat. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays.

At 46% it is smooth and clean. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with honeyed oak underneath. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.