Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2006 (The Auld Alliance)

This Caol Ila was bottled by the bottler The Auld Alliance, a 9 year old, distilled in 2006, bottled at 52.9%, one of 156 bottles. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays.

Distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, giving a bright, citrus driven peat. A fresh bourbon barrel lent vanilla, coconut and a fuller body. Early, extractive maturation draws vanillin (vanilla) and furfural (toasted almond) from the wood over a clean, phenolic smoke. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era. A few weeks each year the distillery runs an unpeated, Highland style spirit. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore.

At 52.9% without water it is rich and full. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with a quiet vanilla under the smoke. Smoke, lemon and a saline minerality fill the middle. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is the elegant, lighter side of Islay.