Lloyd's Whisky Syndicate N°15 - Caol Ila 13yo

THE DISTILLERY

The Caol Ila distillery was founded in 1846 near Port Askaig on the island of Islay by Hector Henderson. As is often the case, the distillery gets its name from its immediate surroundings: Caol Ila means “Sound of Islay” in Gaelic, with reference to the stretch of sea in front of the distillery that separates Islay from nearby Jura. 

Less than a decade after its founding, Caol Ila ran into financial difficulties resulting in the distillery’s ownership passing first in 1854 to Norman Buchanan (owner of the Isle of Jura distillery) and later in 1857 to whisky blender Bulloch Lade. Lade would go on to improve the distillery’s operations by building a pier providing an access for receipt of raw materials and shipping of finished product.

In 1927 Caol Ila was absorbed into the Distillers’ Company Limited (DCL), which would become Diageo at the end of the 20th Century. The distillery experienced a major overhaul in 1972 when the old premises were demolished and replaced with a brand new distillery, followed by an upgrade to the washbacks in 2011 which resulted in a total annual capacity in excess of 6 million litres.

As for all Islay distilleries, Caol Ila is mostly known for its signature peated whisky but it has also experimented with non-peated spirit for use in blending.

The distillery uses the same malted barley as Lagavulin but the end product differs considerably as a result of Caol Ila’s distillation regime characterized by long fermentation (60 hours) which gives the wash some of the tasting notes associated with the whisky: green olive brine, lemon zest and a sweet smokiness comparable to that of Austrian Rauchbier. Caol Ila’s lighter peatiness vs. Lagavulin is also due to the larger size of its pot stills which gives greater surface contact with the spirit which ultimately reduces the heavy phenols. 

THE WHISKY

This whisky was aged for 13 years in a first fill oloroso hogshead before being bottled at cask strength. 

The impact on the nose is immediate and unmistakable: a sweet peat bouquet that opens with elegance. Notes of leather and Kentucky tobacco, the very one used to make Toscano sigars, follow, accompanied by hints of licorice and a delicate scent of helichrysum.

The first sip immediately unveils a symphony of warm nuances. Peat is nicely integrated and never overwhelms, thus allowing for a fascinating complexity: tamarind, carobs and bitter cocoa blend with notes of tobacco and licorice, thus harmoniously renewing the initial impressions.

A touch of chestnuts enriches the taste profile while the full and meaty flavour reminds of smoked duck breast or even smoked herrings.

Peat enshrouds the palate and reminds of those peculiar scents that can be perceived when the kiln is fully active. The impression is that of being transported to Islay, with the wind carrying the smell of kindled fireplaces.

Here the classic note of briny green olives typical of Caol Ila evolves and changes to a tapenade of black olives, capers and anchovies that amplifies the previously perceived impressions of the sea, full and rich in sapidity.

The finish is long lasting, engaging and smoky, with spices like black pepper and nutmeg. This complexity definitely invites another sip, to search for hitherto unexplored sensations or to better rediscover ones already perceived.