Caol Ila Unpeated Style – Diageo Special Releases 2014 15 Years Old 1998

An official release of unpeated Caol Ila, a 15 year old, from 1998, at 60.39%, 10668 bottles in all. Caol Ila is a maritime malt, matured within sound of the sea. Tall stills and a clean cut give the spirit its oily, lemony lightness.

This was run through tall stills that keep the spirit light and oily, for a clean, oily, grassy spirit. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light vanilla. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend orchard fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, structured grip. Maturation by the sea gives the malt its mineral, sea spray character. Sea air works into the maturing casks, lending a briny, coastal lift. A slow maturation in the cool island air keeps the spirit fresh and oily. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation.

Bottled at a cask strength 60.39%, it is intense. Green apple, oat and a citrus oil, with a light vanilla from the cask. Lemon, oat and a soft wax run through the middle. The citrus fades slow over a soft mineral tang. This is a grassy, lemony unpeated Islay malt.