Caol Ila 13 Years Old 2009 Cask #Batch 22/029 (Connoisseurs Choice)

Connoisseurs Choice – Wood Finished

700ml / 45%

Single Malt

$148

A 13 year old Caol Ila, 2009, at 45% from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail. Clean and coastal, the smoke leans to lemon and olive oil. The distillery sits below a steep brae on the shore. The spirit is matured largely on the mainland. Bottled by independents the world over, and by Diageo itself. This is the lighter, citrus driven face of Islay.

In stock

Available

SKU CIL548 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

A 13 year old Caol Ila from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, from cask Batch 22/029, bottled at 45%, one of 3550 bottles. Caol Ila takes its name from the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

Distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, for the light, maritime smoke Caol Ila is known for. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. In integration the oak lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the phenols, the whole growing rounder and oilier. 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. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke.

At an easy 45% it is gentle. A clean maritime smoke with lemon and brine, with a creamy oak note. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.