Caol Ila 8 Years Old 2016 Cask #306700 + 05 +06 +08 (Wilson & Morgan)

A Caol Ila drawn by the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, distilled in 2016, from cask 306700 + 05 +06 +08, bottled at 48%, one of 1866 bottles. Caol Ila sits on the shore at Port Askaig, on the narrow Sound of Islay. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

Drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, shaping the lighter side of Islay. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. In its extractive youth the spirit takes vanillin vanilla and lactone coconut quickly, the peat phenols vivid and lemony. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

Bottled at a cask strength 48%, it is intense. A lemony Islay smoke over olive oil, with a quiet vanilla under the smoke. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.