Caol Ila 9 Years Old 2015 Cask #302611 (Dr��m M��r)

A Caol Ila drawn by the bottler Dr��m M��r, distilled in 2015, from cask 302611, bottled at 55.2%, one of 288 bottles. Caol Ila looks out across the Sound to the Paps of Jura. The clean, lemony smoke has made it a favourite of blenders for generations.

This was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, for a smoke more elegant than heavy. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted hemicellulose sugars (a light caramel) fast, the phenols still sharp and medicinal. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Most of its peated malt is destined for the Johnnie Walker blends. From a small Victorian works it grew into one of Scotland's biggest malt distilleries. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy.

At a hearty 55.2% it carries real weight. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. This is one of the most versatile of the Islay malts.