Caol Ila The Distillers Edition 12 Years Old 2009

An official Caol Ila, a 12 year old, from 2009, at 43%. Caol Ila is Diageo's largest Islay distillery. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols.

Worked from peated barley through the distillery's tall stills, for a clean, coastal, oily make. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. By the integrating teens harsher congeners fade and ethyl esters build, lending a riper citrus over the softening peat. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. The oily texture comes from the spirit cut, the cask adding depth around it. A gentle vanillin sweetness from the oak balances the coastal phenols. Refill oak lets the maritime peat and lemon of the spirit lead the way. Caol Ila's smoke leans to lemon, olive oil and brine rather than tar or iodine. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke.

Reduced to 43%, it is mellow. A clean peat with sea salt and citrus, with grape, honey and a floral lift from the cask. The oily body carries the smoke long and clean. The finish is long, smoky and citrussy. This is an Islay malt that wears its smoke lightly.