Caol Ila 12 Year Old SMWS Two Kinds Of Puffer 53.473 58.4%

The nose evoked the seashore – tarry driftwood, rock pools, seaweed and beach bonfires (sausage sizzle time) – with puffer boats in a harbour nearby. On the palate we got more prominent (nutty) smoke, some briny and savoury notes (smoked mackerel paté, foie gras) and delicious sweetness (coconut, raspberry, blackcurrant cordial, crème brûlée). The reduced nose gave us toasted marshmallows, cherries, lamb on the barbecue and old guys smoking cheroots in a bodega courtyard. The palate now had clean peat smoke, singed rosemary, candy floss, pomegranate and ash. After 10 years in ex-bourbon wood, this matured further in a charred red wine refill barrique.

Caol Ila in the north of Isle of Islay was founded as far back as 1846 by Hector Henderson. The distillery is sited near Port Askaig overlooking the beautiful Sound of Islay which it is named after in Gaelic- ‘Caol Ila’.

Over the years the distillery changed hands numerous times and was subsequently bought by Distillers Company Ltd in 1927. In the early 1970’s there was a complete overhaul of the old buildings and six new stills were put in place then in 2022 a brand new visitors centre opened.

Much of the whisky produced goes into the Johnnie Walker blends and a very small amount is kept aside for maturing as a Caol Ila expression. The single malt is mainly made with peated barley giving the final flavour profile that classic Islay taste. In the core range there’s the Moch with no age plus the 12, 18 and 25 year olds. Also in the range is The Distiller’s Edition which has a delicious muscatel finish.

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