Caol Ila 6 Years Old 2010 (Provenance)

A 6 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 2010 from the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, bottled at 50.6%. Caol Ila is a workhorse of the blending halls and a favourite of malt drinkers. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

This was drawn off a high cut from peated barley, giving the lighter Islay style its shape. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the make lead. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily.

At a full 50.6% it is bold and oily. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.