Caol Ila 16 Years Old 2007 Cask #203 (Signatory)

Cask Strength Collection

700ml / 53.1%

Single Malt

$296

From the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 16 year old Caol Ila 2007, at 53.1%. Lemon, brine and a clean smoke over an oily body, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Islay’s quiet giant, vast yet refined. Its tall stills give a lighter, cleaner island spirit. This is a clean island malt from the strait facing Jura.

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SKU CIL832 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

A Caol Ila of a 16 year old chosen by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, distilled in 2007, from cask 203, bottled at 53.1%, one of 698 bottles. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends.

This was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, giving a clean, lemony peat. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness beneath the smoke. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, structured grip, the smoke now mellow. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

Undiluted at 53.1%, it is powerful. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. A long, briny finish ends on lemon and soft smoke. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.