Caol Ila 18 Years Old 2007 Cask #105 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Caol Ila, an 18 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 105, bottled at 56.1%, one of 295 bottles. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

It was made from medium phenol malt on soft Loch nam Ban water, shaping the lighter side of Islay. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed and ellagitannin tannins lend a polished, drying frame to the smoke. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright.

At its natural 56.1% it is concentrated. Peat smoke, citrus and a soft oil, with a gentle oak sweetness beneath. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is a refined, citrus driven Islay smoke.