Caol Ila 9 Years Old 1993 Meregalli Giuseppe s.r.l. (G&M)

A 9 year old Caol Ila, this distilled in 1993 from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, bottled at 40%. Caol Ila is the smoky backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

It was drawn off a high cut from peated barley, building a refined, maritime peat. 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. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily.

At an easy 40% it is gentle. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with a touch of vanilla and toffee. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. A smoky, oily warmth lingers with lemon and salt. This is an elegant Islay single malt.