Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2015 Cask #314305 (Wilson & Morgan)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, an 8 year old, distilled in 2015, from cask 314305, bottled at 50%, one of 183 bottles. Caol Ila is the largest distillery on the Isle of Islay. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries.

Here the spirit was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. A tired refill cask added little but time, the make speaking clearly. Early, extractive maturation draws vanillin (vanilla) and furfural (toasted almond) from the wood over a clean, phenolic smoke. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make.

At a full 50% it is bold and oily. A coastal peat with citrus and pepper, with a quiet vanilla under the smoke. Smoked lemon and sea salt build over an oily body. The finish runs oily, smoky and clean. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.