Our Small Batch whiskies are a perfect way to begin exploring the unique character and style of some of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries.
Style: Small Batch
Cask Type: Hogshead
Vintage: 2010
Bottled: 2021
Region: Islay
No. of bottles: 953
ABV: 46.0%
Release: Winter 2021
Jonny McMillan
“Sometimes after a dinner with friends you need a dram with enough muscle to cut through a tired palate, but still with enough complexity to see how it develops over a few drams. This Caol Ila is one such whisky, and bottled at the wonderful ‘session strength’ of 46%!”
Tasting Notes
The nose is initially deceptively gentle, offering icing sugar and a slight earthy smoke, though time in the glass crescendos the coastal peat showing muscular phenolic character. The palate gives more notes of peat smoke along with damp wool, icing sugar, slight floral notes, and more peat smoke! The finish is unmistakably coastal fading slowly with flavours of kippers, tar and yet more smoke.
Caol Ila Distillery is near Port Askaig, looking across the Sound of Islay to neighbouring Jura. Its whisky is very well respected for both its distinctive, smoky Islay style and elegant, fruity balance.
Rob says “Massive and hideous” was how Caol Ila was first described to me – although, to be very clear, it was the distillery buildings that were being described to me, not the whisky, and much-less the hard working Ileachs employed there! To make so much spirit flow so exceptionally reliably and STILL maintain such an impeccable character takes great skill. Ask me which Islay dram I’ll have todrink, and it’ll more often than not be a Caol Ila, please.”