Caol Ila 30 Years Old 1981 Handwritten Label (Thosop Import)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the bottler Thosop Import, a 30 year old, distilled in 1981, bottled at 50.6%, one of 153 bottles. Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay, vast yet refined. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island.

It was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A refill hogshead held it quietly, the spirit left to lead. At this great, fragile age oxidation has the last word, ethereal esters, beeswax and old polished tannins where the smoke once was. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle.

Undiluted at 50.6%, it is powerful. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with a quiet vanilla under the smoke. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.