Caol Ila 14 Years Old 2008 Cask #C22064 (Claxton’s)

A 14 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 2008 from the bottler Claxton's, from cask C22064, bottled at 53.2%, one of 297 bottles. Caol Ila makes a clean, maritime malt on the east coast of Islay. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island.

It was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A wine cask held it, layering berry fruit over the malt. Integration sees eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) fold into the spirit, the medicinal smoke gentler now. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays.

At its natural 53.2% it is concentrated. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with plum and red berry from the cask. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.