Caol Ila 30 Years Old 1980 Cask #DL 6858 (Douglas Laing)

A 30 year old Caol Ila from the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, from cask DL 6858, bottled at 50%, one of 318 bottles. Caol Ila has distilled at Port Askaig since the middle of the 19th century. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand.

Here the spirit was worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, building a refined, maritime peat. A bourbon barrel held it, the oak lending vanilla and a little cream. At an ethereal, fragile age the spirit turns delicate, sotolon lending a maple and old oak depth as beeswax and a ghost of smoke linger. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke.

At cask strength 50% it is muscular. A smoky, briny coastal character, with vanilla and a soft caramel from the wood. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is a clean coastal malt with a lemony peat.