Caol Ila Distiller's Edition 2015 Bottling

Caol Ila

One of the most important distilleries in Diageo’s portfolio, Caol Ila has been the workhouse of almost all of its blends for almost 100 years. Being a key ingredient to layering peated complexity into the Johnnie Walker blend, Caol Ila currently produces over 6.5 million litres of alcohol per year, the largest on the island. Joining the Distillers Company Limited in 1927, Caol Ila quietly produced its peated malt whisky for decades until 1972 when everything but the warehouses were demolished to make way for a new renovation. Completed in 1974, 6 stills were installed and the importance of its malt whisky to blenders ensured its survival throughout the 1980s Scotch whisky crisis. In 1999 the distillery began experimenting with unpeated spirit runs and it wasn’t until 2002 that Caol Ila had its own mainline core range single malt expressions. It had been seen a few years prior in the Rare Malts Selection and Flora & Fauna series, but 2002 brought the 12, 18 and cask strength 10 year old to market. 
 
Caol Ila as a single malt sits as a quiet one amongst Diageo’s offerings. Whilst brands such as Laphroaig and Ardbeg have seen record sales, Caol Ila’s single malt sales are slow. However, with how important the whisky is to blenders and independent bottlers, Diageo has made no effort to change this. Typically utilising a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon maturation, Caol Ila has one of the deepest reserves of well aged casks on Islay next to the likes of Bunnahabhain. Caol Ila’s barley is peated to roughly 35 PPM on average, however the new make typically enters cask as a medium level peated spirit. Unpeated expressions were released in 2014/2015 as a 15 year old and as an 18 year old in 2017. These were exceptionally well received by fans and proved that Caol Ila’s spirit is excellent in all forms it takes.