Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2012 Cask #325820 (The Whisky Kingdom)

A Caol Ila of an 8 year old chosen by the bottler The Whisky Kingdom, distilled in 2012, from cask 325820, bottled at 57.9%, one of 301 bottles. Caol Ila looks out across the Sound to the Paps of Jura. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

This was run from peated malt through tall stills on Loch nam Ban water, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. In its extractive youth the spirit takes vanillin vanilla and lactone coconut quickly, the peat phenols vivid and lemony. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

At its natural 57.9% it is concentrated. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with vanilla and a honeyed edge from the cask. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. Smoke and sea salt see out a long finish. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.