Caol Ila 7 Years Old 2017 Cask #DL18766 (Provenance)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, a 7 year old, distilled in 2017, from cask DL18766, bottled at 46%, one of 237 bottles. Caol Ila is an east coast Islay distillery on the strait facing Jura. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends.

Here the spirit was distilled in tall stills that lend the smoke an oily lightness, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A wine cask held it, layering berry fruit over the malt. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. A clean maritime smoke with lemon and brine, with brown sugar and a tropical lift from the cask. Lemon, olive oil and a soft ash run through the middle. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.