Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2007 Cask #315519 (van Wees)

The Dutch bottler van Wees released this Caol Ila, a 7 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 315519, bottled at 46%, one of 725 bottles. Caol Ila has distilled at Port Askaig since the middle of the 19th century. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

Distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and oak lactones a coconut sweetness, the guaiacol smoke bright and fresh. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand.

At 46% it is smooth and clean. A lemony Islay smoke over olive oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is a lemony, coastal Islay single malt.