Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2006 Cask #306217 (G&M)

A Caol Ila drawn by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 2006, from cask 306217, bottled at 58.2%, one of 251 bottles. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. A ferry crosses the Sound from Port Askaig to Jura and the mainland.

Here the spirit was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. Maturation in an Oloroso cask laid dried fruit over the make. In its extractive youth the spirit takes vanillin vanilla and lactone coconut quickly, the peat phenols vivid and lemony. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. The distillery was expanded again in the 21st century to meet blend demand. Time in oak deepens the oily body while the maritime smoke stays bright. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

At a hearty 58.2% it carries real weight. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A maritime salt and a lemon lift run through it. It finishes smoky, oily and bright. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.