Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2008 Cask #312075 (Connoisseurs Choice)

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail bottled this Caol Ila, a 13 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 312075, bottled at 59.7%, one of 562 bottles. Caol Ila has been bottled at every age from young and fierce to old and waxy. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

It was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, for the clean island smoke prized by blenders. A first fill sherry cask drove a deep, figgy, nutty character. Across the integration years the smoke loses its edge as esters and vanillin weave into a smoother, citrussy whole. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

At a full 59.7% it is bold and oily. A fresh peat smoke over oily lemon, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a maritime, lemony Islay single malt.