Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2012 Cask #14829 (Blackadder)

From the bottler Blackadder, an 8 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2012, from cask 14829, bottled at 62.3%, one of 253 bottles. Caol Ila is the lighter, more elegant face of Islay smoke. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

Made from medium peated malt for a clean, smoky spirit, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A tired refill cask added little but time, the make speaking clearly. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and oak lactones a coconut sweetness, the guaiacol smoke bright and fresh. The lighter style means the cask and the citrus speak alongside the peat. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright.

At 62.3% without water it is rich and full. A smoky, briny coastal character, with a touch of vanilla and toffee. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is Caol Ila's lighter, maritime Islay smoke.