Caol Ila 15 Years Old 2009 Cask #307093 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 15 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 307093, bottled at 58.9%, one of 227 bottles. Caol Ila is a workhorse of the blending halls and a favourite of malt drinkers. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

Here the spirit was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. Through oxidative maturity the phenols mellow and esters concentrate, citrus turning to candied lemon over a soft peat. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke.

At its natural 58.9% it is concentrated. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Lemon, olive oil and a soft ash run through the middle. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a maritime, lemony Islay single malt.