Caol Ila 16 Years Old 2009 Cask #322897 (Signatory)

A Caol Ila of a 16 year old chosen by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, distilled in 2009, from cask 322897, bottled at 56.4%, one of 267 bottles. Caol Ila wears its Islay smoke more lightly than its southern neighbours. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

Run through tall copper stills that keep the smoke light, giving the lighter Islay style its shape. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the spirit. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (pear and apple) and a waxiness, the phenols softening to a coastal whisper. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge. Phenols from the peat smoke carry the medicinal, lemony edge through the years. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays.

At its natural 56.4% it is concentrated. A fresh peat smoke over oily lemon, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.