Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2014 Cask #1952863 (Murray McDavid)

A Caol Ila drawn by the independent Murray McDavid, distilled in 2014, from cask 1952863, bottled at 54.9%. Caol Ila is the lighter, more elegant face of Islay smoke. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

The spirit was drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the spirit. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. Olive oil and lemon sit at the heart of the Caol Ila character. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through.

At cask strength 54.9% it is muscular. A clean ashy smoke with lime and brine, with a light bourbon sweetness. A sea salt and an olive oil note sit under the smoke. The close is long, smoke over a citrus lift. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.