Caol Ila 12 Year
Peated Single Malt
Caol Ila // Islay, Scotland
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Cost
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.
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age12 Year
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abv43.0
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Peated Single Malt100% malted barley from a single distillery. Dried with peat.
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Cask Type
Tasting Notes
"Caol Ila 12 Year whispers the sounds of Islay with more nuanced, finessed aromas and flavors than most. At first sniff, hints of autumn rise out of the glass with apples, pears and scents of the season’s first fires. This is followed by vegetal notes of wet sea grass, and black tea. Rounding out the palate, flavors of spicy sweets and Applewood smoked ham are discovered before elegant peat smoke takes over. The whisky finishes with hints of tart green apple, spicy white pepper and a big salty sea smoke that lingers with memories of bonfires on the beach that burn long into the night. "
Reviewed by
Ryan Conklin