Caol Ila 34 Years Old 1981 Cask #5316 (G&M)

A 34 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 1981 from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, from cask 5316, bottled at 59%, one of 196 bottles. Caol Ila is an east coast Islay distillery on the strait facing Jura. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

Run through tall copper stills that keep the smoke light, building a refined, maritime peat. A second fill bourbon cask kept the oak in the background. In its ethereal years the malt is waxy and oxidative, faded esters and a touch of sotolon (maple, spice) over the merest whisper of peat. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. The warehouses are ranged along the rocky shore at the water's edge.

At a full 59% it is bold and oily. Smoke, grapefruit and a maritime salt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.