Caol Ila 12 Years Old 2010 Smoke Tales (Tales & Oak)

A 12 year old Caol Ila from the bottler Tales & Oak, bottled at 52.9%, one of 75 bottles. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

This was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for the clean island smoke prized by blenders. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla and a light sweetness under the smoke. Through the integration phase spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as the guaiacol phenols mellow into a softer smoke. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way.

At a hearty 52.9% it carries real weight. A clean maritime smoke with lemon and brine, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.