As Cardhu 12 is to Speyside, so is Caol Ila 12 to Islay. Used by Diageo in their varied Johnnie Walker blendings and bottlings, both, in their respective style and taste, are rounded and balanced single malt whiskies, consistently well-behaved ambassadors of their regions. Caol Ila is a paradoxical distillery - it is the largest and probably the least known of the Islay distilleries. It sits well hidden on the east coast of the island, a narrow body of water separating it from the island of Jura - caol is gaelic for narrow, caol ila translates literally to island strait. Just like its three south coast, smoky, siblings, Caol Ila 12 is also peaty, briny and peppery, bar the drama; there is none of Laphroaig's spiky stabbings of burnt rubber and iodine, the tartness of Ardbeg's has gone AWOL, whilst the rich fruitiness of Lagavulin's is now transmogrified into a light floral essence. Caol Ila 12's personality is characterised exactly by this - the absence of its siblings' drams' dramas. The nose is peat and brine forward, but it's a gentle kind of peat and the brine has been tamped down by a recent healthy rainfall, one that has also anchored down the nose with a petrichor, nutty undertone. Holding the Glencairn at half a palm's length from the nose, an elegant but elusive floral note emerges, a cross-stitched scent of watered mint leaves and wet jasmine flowers. The mouthfeel is neither oily nor light, with promises of a long finish to come. On the palate, the peat and salt continue their harmonious co-existence. A suspicion of presence perhaps, but no discernible citrus or dark fruit flavours; taking centre stage are notes of granny smith apples sprinkled with cinnamon, with short-lived, white pepper appearing at the back of the palate; as the dram oxidises further, drops of vanilla extract show up, pears join the granny smiths and nutmeg competes with the cinnamon. Tannins, however, remain hidden and out of view by the well-balanced nature of this dram. As the last of the white pepper disappears, the finish presents a perfumy quality - have you ever back tasted through the nose? it's a thing - with the mint and the jasmine returning for a final encore, hand-in-hand with the smoke, the salt and the baking spices. in summary, Caol Ila 12 is a very good VfM Islay bottling, an impressive exercise in restraint and a bottle that is worth keeping around on the shelf or in the cupboard.