Caol Ila 12yo

The best choice of casks goes into the bottlings for our 30^th Anniversary, and this Islay malt makes no exception. Made particularly smooth, full bodied and flavourful by a finish of 28 months in first fill Bourbon hogsheads, it’s an intense and juicy expression from this distillery. At the nose it’s initially a bit quiet, as if the creamy richness of the oak has muted the peat a bit: there is a pleasantly sweet and dark character, with a background of tarriness. But just add a bit of water, and proceed to the first sip: the unmistakeable peaty profile is there to envelope your tastebuds. Smoke, tar and ashes are ready to strike, on a backbone on chewy sweet maltiness, vanilla and oak tannins. It’s a young and vibrant peated malt, but with a lot of muscular character too. Towards the end, the oaky influence, leathery and deep, becomes even more evident.