Caol Ila 16 Years Old 2007 Cask #202 (van Wees)

A Caol Ila drawn by the Dutch bottler van Wees, distilled in 2007, from cask 202, bottled at 46%. Caol Ila was rebuilt in the 1970s into the large distillery it is today. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

This was made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, building a refined, maritime peat. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed and ellagitannin tannins lend a polished, drying frame to the smoke. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. The finish is clean, smoky and maritime. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.