Caol Ila 17 Years Old 1997 Spirit & Cask Range (Whiskymax)

A 17 year old Caol Ila from the bottler Whiskymax, bottled at 42.3%, one of 398 bottles. Caol Ila makes a clean, maritime malt on the east coast of Islay. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

This was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for the clean island smoke prized by blenders. Refill American oak let the spirit speak, adding a quiet honeyed note. Oxidative maturity brings a waxy, fruity depth, ethyl esters of orchard fruit building as the peat turns gentle and coastal. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily.

At 42.3% it is clean and coastal. Smoke, grapefruit and a maritime salt, with a light bourbon sweetness. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. Ash, lemon and brine draw out the close. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.