Caol Ila – 12 Year Old Unpeated 2011 (64%) (70cl, 64%)

Caol Ila – 12 Year Old Unpeated 2011 (64%) is a single malt whisky from Caol Ila (Islay). Aged 12 years, bottled at 64% ABV, 70cl. Caol Ila was founded by Hector Henderson in 1846, next to Port Askaig. Later, Henderson was bought out by blender Bulloch Lade who built a pier at the distillery's site. Caol Ila was then taken over by DCL (now Diageo) in 1927 and was in production for several decades before being demolished in 1972. A new distillery was built with six new stills, which led to Caol Ila experimenting with unpeated malt. The 21st century brought many things for Caol Ila, in 2002 the distillery's first official permanent bottling was released, the Caol Ila 12-Year-Old. Revamps were taking place in 2011, with a new mash tun and even more washbacks were installed, this allowed the distillery's capacity to increase to 6.5m litres per year. Diageo announced plans for a new visitor centre in 2018, created within the distillery warehouse including a new car park, footbridge entry and a bar overlooking the Sound of Islay. While whisky from Caol Ila is usually smoky, this yearly release looks at the distillery's other, less well-known side: unpeated spirit. Bottled at natural cask strength in 2011 at 64%.