Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2013 Cask #DL 16074 (Provenance)

A Caol Ila of an 8 year old chosen by the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, distilled in 2013, from cask DL 16074, bottled at 46%, one of 406 bottles. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

This was distilled slowly from peated malt for a refined island smoke, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the make lead. These first years are extractive, the oak giving lactones as coconut and vanillin as vanilla beneath a sharp, citrussy smoke. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends. Long ageing turns the young, sharp peat into a soft, coastal smoke. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with a light vanilla and a touch of coconut. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. A long, briny finish ends on lemon and soft smoke. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.