Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2014 (Hepburn’s Choice)

The independent Hunter Laing selected this Caol Ila, a 9 year old, distilled in 2014, bottled at 46%, one of 298 bottles. Caol Ila is one of the largest malt distilleries in all of Scotland. Diageo's Special Releases have featured both peated and unpeated Caol Ila.

It was distilled with a long fermentation and a clean cut, building the elegant Islay smoke at its heart. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and sweet beneath the peat. In its extractive youth the spirit takes vanillin vanilla and lactone coconut quickly, the peat phenols vivid and lemony. The peat here is medium rather than heavy, so fruit and smoke share the glass. Malt comes from the Port Ellen maltings on the south of the island. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. A clean smoke and a coastal salt define the distillery style.

At 46% it is smooth and clean. Smoked lemon, brine and a green olive note, with a light bourbon sweetness. Lemon, olive oil and a soft ash run through the middle. A long maritime smoke closes it. This is the smoky malt of the Sound of Islay.