Caol Ila 31 Years Old 1981 Cask #5683 (C&S Dram Collection)

A Caol Ila of a 31 year old chosen by the bottler C&S Dram Collection, distilled in 1981, from cask 5683, bottled at 54%, one of 119 bottles. Caol Ila takes its name from the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle.

The spirit was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for a clean, coastal, oily make. Refill American oak let the spirit speak, adding a quiet honeyed note. Ethereal and fragile, decades have drawn the spirit to a waxy, tropical delicacy, sotolon and old oak over a soft mineral smoke. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland.

At a hearty 54% it carries real weight. A clean ashy smoke with lime and brine, with a creamy oak note. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.