Caol Ila 12 Year

Caol Ila, pronounced as “Cull Ee-la” is a small Islay distillery founded in 1846 nestled in a hidden cove near Port Askaig overlooking the strait between Islay and Jura. The history of Caol Ila is a little rough going as it changed hands multiple times over the years, shuttered during WWII due to barley restrictions and finally seeing the entire distilling facility demolished in 1972. Shortly thereafter in 1974, production resumed before finally becoming a part of Diageo and taking the place as the largest distillery in Islay both in size and production. Caol Ila is readily known as one of the lighter, more nuanced and delicate of the Islay single malts with the 12 year as their entry level offering originally debuting in the summer of 2002. It is bottled at a modest 86 proof.