Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2009 Cask #317864 (van Wees)

A Caol Ila of a 9 year old chosen by the Dutch bottler van Wees, distilled in 2009, from cask 317864, bottled at 59%, one of 554 bottles. Caol Ila is the most heavily bottled of all the Islay malts. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

Distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, giving a clean, lemony peat. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Early, extractive maturation draws vanillin (vanilla) and furfural (toasted almond) from the wood over a clean, phenolic smoke. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. The tall stills and a high cut give a lighter, cleaner spirit than the southern Islays. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath.

At a full 59% it is bold and oily. A clean maritime smoke with lemon and brine, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is Caol Ila's lighter, maritime Islay smoke.