Caol Ila 16 Years Old 2007 Cask #311603 (Wilson & Morgan)

A Caol Ila drawn by the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, distilled in 2007, from cask 311603, bottled at 57.4%, one of 240 bottles. Caol Ila stands below a steep brae on Islay's rugged east shore. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

This was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. Years in ex-Bourbon wood lent a soft vanilla and a coastal calm. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed and ellagitannin tannins lend a polished, drying frame to the smoke. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.4%, it is intense. A lemony Islay smoke over olive oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft smoke and citrus sit behind the cask. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.