Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2014 Cask #300331 (Meadowside Blending)

From the bottler Meadowside Blending, a 7 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2014, from cask 300331, bottled at 54.1%, one of 330 bottles. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

The spirit was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building a refined, maritime peat. First fill bourbon gave it a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and oak lactones a coconut sweetness, the guaiacol smoke bright and fresh. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

Bottled at a cask strength 54.1%, it is intense. Ashy smoke, lemon oil and a saline tang, with a creamy oak note. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. The finish is clean, smoky and maritime. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.