Caol Ila 2016 IN2S (IN2Spirit (IN2S))

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler IN2Spirit (IN2S), distilled in 2016, from cask 3421995, bottled at 61.2%, one of 180 bottles. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand.

Drawn off a high cut from peated barley, building a refined, maritime peat. A tired refill cask added little but time, the make speaking clearly. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. A clean smoke and a coastal salt define the distillery style. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

At 61.2%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with a gentle oak sweetness beneath. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.