Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2010 Hepburn’s Choice (Langside Distillers)

The bottler Langside Distillers bottled this Caol Ila, an 8 year old, distilled in 2010, bottled at 46%, one of 379 bottles. Caol Ila is among the most widely traded of Islay's single malts. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

This was distilled slowly from peated malt for a refined island smoke, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years.

At 46% it is supple and oily. A bonfire smoke with lemon and sea salt, with vanilla and a soft caramel from the wood. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.