Caol Ila 25 Years Old 1990 Cask #1478 (Mackillop’s Choice)

The bottler Mackillop's Choice selected this Caol Ila, a 25 year old, distilled in 1990, from cask 1478, bottled at 54.4%, one of 302 bottles. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit.

Distilled slowly from peated malt for a refined island smoke, building a refined, maritime peat. Refill American oak let the spirit speak, adding a quiet honeyed note. At this oxidative, evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a polished, drying structure while slow oxidation brings waxy tropical fruit over a ghost of peat. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore.

Undiluted at 54.4%, it is powerful. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with honeyed oak underneath. Soft smoke and citrus sit behind the cask. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.