Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2015 Cask #300013 (Gillespie & Partners)

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler Gillespie & Partners, distilled in 2015, from cask 300013, bottled at 53.5%, one of 210 bottles. Caol Ila stands below a steep brae on Islay's rugged east shore. Water falls to the distillery from Loch nam Ban in the hills above.

Distilled from medium peated malt in tall copper stills, giving the lighter Islay style its shape. A first fill sherry cask drove a deep, figgy, nutty character. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and oak lactones a coconut sweetness, the guaiacol smoke bright and fresh. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore.

At 53.5%, undiluted, it is bold and clean. Wood smoke, lemon zest and brine, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a clean, smoky Islay single malt from Caol Ila.