Caol Ila 13 Years Old (Discovery)

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail bottled this Caol Ila, a 13 year old, bottled at 43%. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

It was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. Through the integration phase spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as the guaiacol phenols mellow into a softer smoke. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy.

At 43% it is smooth and clean. A clean ashy smoke with lime and brine, with a gentle oak sweetness beneath. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. A long, briny finish ends on lemon and soft smoke. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.