Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2014 Cask Series 019 (North Star)

An 8 year old Caol Ila from the bottler North Star Spirits, bottled at 51%, one of 600 bottles. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays.

Here the spirit was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. 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. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness. The spirit's lightness lets sherry, wine and bourbon casks all show through.

At 51% without water it is rich and full. A bonfire smoke with lemon and sea salt, with vanilla and a soft caramel from the wood. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is Caol Ila's lighter, maritime Islay smoke.