Caol Ila 15 Years Old 2004 Cask #306618 (Connoisseurs Choice)

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail selected this Caol Ila, a 15 year old, distilled in 2004, from cask 306618, bottled at 58.9%, one of 535 bottles. Caol Ila stands below a steep brae on Islay's rugged east shore. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

It was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, giving a clean, lemony peat. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, structured grip, the smoke now mellow. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy.

Undiluted at 58.9%, it is powerful. Smoke, grapefruit and a maritime salt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is a refined, citrus driven Islay smoke.