Caol Ila 40 Years Old 1984 Cask #8484006286 (LMDW)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the bottler La Maison du Whisky, a 40 year old, distilled in 1984, from cask 8484006286, bottled at 51.3%, one of 99 bottles. Caol Ila is an Islay malt of clean, oily, citrus driven smoke. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

It was distilled slowly from peated malt for a refined island smoke, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the make lead. 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. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. Much of the spirit leaves the island by sea to mature on the mainland. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

At 51.3%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. Peat smoke, citrus and a soft oil, with a creamy oak note. Soft smoke and citrus sit behind the cask. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.