Caol Ila Feis Ile 2014 Whisky 55.5%

Nose: A little peanut brittle gives way to a smokier version of the Islay sea food van including a touch of oil from the engine. (I've just confirmed that it was the whisky as I was actually stood next to the van when we first opened the bottle!) Lemon slices, plenty of very sweet seaweed, moving into hints of menthol then 'lemon and lavender'.

Palate: Initially substantial, but you soon realise this is a velvety whisky, not one with loads of oomph. Creamy vanilla and sort of 'fizzy' coastal oak with a little smoke.

Finish: Sweet Caol Ila smoke.

Overall: A yummy Caol Ila that's a little sweeter than their core range.

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.