Caol Ila 19 Years Old 2007 Decadent Drams (Decadent Drinks)

The bottler Decadent Drinks bottled this Caol Ila, a 19 year old, distilled in 2007, bottled at 50.1%, one of 218 bottles. Caol Ila has distilled at Port Askaig since the middle of the 19th century. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

Here the spirit was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. Oxidative maturity brings a waxy, fruity depth, ethyl esters of orchard fruit building as the peat turns gentle and coastal. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

At cask strength 50.1% it is muscular. A smoky, briny coastal character, with a creamy oak note. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.