Caol Ila 1988 (Bottled 2001) Gordon & MacPhail / 40%/ 0.7l

Caol Ila is the largest distillery on the Isle of Islay, equipped with three pairs of stills, produces 6.5 million litres of distillate per year.

In recent years, sales of the single malt have risen to 600,000 bottles, a considerable success considering the first official release was only in 2002. Independent distributors have always been keen to include Caol Ila in their ranges, and the 1988 Vintage featured here is bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for Milan-based Italian importer Giuseppe Meregalli. The whisky was aged for 13 years in Gordon & MacPhail’s warehouses in Elgin.

Nose: fresh and expressive, peat, sea breeze and seaweed, green apples, vanilla, toffee, traces of olive oil and smoked bacon.

Palate : mild peat smoke, apples, gooseberries, green olives, seaweed salad, vanilla, salted caramel, lemongrass and delicate oak notes.

Finish : medium long, peaty, with a hint of brine, grass and to a lesser extent vanilla.