Caol Ila 13 Year Old 2009 - Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail) | 700ML

Making quite an addition to the Connoisseurs Choice range from indie bottlers Gordon & MacPhail, this single malt Scotch was distilled at Caol Ila in 2009. It initially matured in a bourbon barrels before finishing for two years in a sassicaia casks (a very fancy Tuscan red wine). Bottled in 2022, non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, with complex red fruit character finding its way into the characteristic Islay smoke.

Caol Ila 13 Year Old 2009 - Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail) | 700ML Tasting Notes

Nose: Meaty smoke, spiced biltong, gorse flower, and sundried raisins.

Palate: Summer berries, hedgerow fruits, spiced ginger cake, summer barbecues, and a touch of candied citrus.

Finish: Peppery spices build, with grilled cherries, and waves of Islay peat.

Distillery Information

Caol Ila was founded to the North of Islay in 1846 by the pleasingly-named Hector Henderson. It is located near Port Askaig and sits in lush, floral surroundings, overlooking the cove and the Paps of southern Jura. The distillery draws its water from Loch Nam Ban, whose waters travel through limestone and peat before reaching their beneficiary, Caol Ila. The whisky distillery was sold to Norman Buchanan in 1852 and then, following monetary hardship, to the Glasgow-based blenders Bulloch, Lade and Co who renovated the buildings in 1879. Following liquidation, Distillers Company Ltd acquired Caol Ila and the distillery was subsequently transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers. The capacity is moderate at 3.65 million litres annually, the majority of which is used in Johnnie Walker blends. Just 5% is kept for maturation as single malt. From 1999, unpeated single malts have been experimented with and in 2006 the first unpeated bottling was released in the form of an eight year-old. Caol Ila, whose name derives from the Gaelic for ‘Sound of Islay’, has been included in the Diageo Classic Malts range, exhibiting twelve and eighteen year-old expressions as well as a Moscatel-finished Distillers Edition. Independent bottlings can also be found.

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