Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2007 Cask #8 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Caol Ila, a 13 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 8, bottled at 59.1%, one of 686 bottles. Caol Ila has been bottled at every age from young and fierce to old and waxy. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

It was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, building a refined, maritime peat. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

At 59.1% without water it is rich and full. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. The finish is clean, smoky and maritime. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.