Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2011 Classics With A Twist (The Daily Dram)

The bottler The Daily Dram bottled this Caol Ila, a 9 year old, distilled in 2011, bottled at 54.1%. Caol Ila is one of the largest malt distilleries in all of Scotland. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company.

It was drawn off a high cut from peated barley, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. A long spell in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit gently. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island. A clean smoke and a coastal salt define the distillery style. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character.

At 54.1%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. A bonfire smoke with lemon and sea salt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.