Caol Ila – 18 Year Old (70cl, 43%)

Caol Ila – 18 Year Old is a single malt whisky from Caol Ila (Islay). Aged 18 years, bottled at 43% 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. This is said to be a balanced 18-year-old. Time has tamed the peatiness, with the raw Islay character being tempered by a robust oak influence.