Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2012 Cask #325884 (The Stillman’s DE)

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler The Stillman's DE, distilled in 2012, from cask 325884, bottled at 60.2%, one of 196 bottles. Caol Ila is prized for a smoke that leans to lemon and olive oil rather than tar. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

Here the spirit was run through tall copper stills that keep the smoke light, for an oily smoke that leans to lemon and brine. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. These first years are extractive, the oak giving lactones as coconut and vanillin as vanilla beneath a sharp, citrussy smoke. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

At 60.2% without water it is rich and full. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with raisin and a caramelised nuttiness from the cask. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is an elegant Islay single malt.