Caol Ila 15 Years Old 1991 Cask #4739 – 42 (Ian Macleod)

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler Ian Macleod, distilled in 1991, from cask 4739-42, bottled at 43%, one of 1458 bottles. Caol Ila is prized for a smoke that leans to lemon and olive oil rather than tar. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

It was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (pear and apple) and a waxiness, the phenols softening to a coastal whisper. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way.

At 43% it is smooth and clean. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with vanilla and a honeyed edge from the cask. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.