Caol Ila 
Caol Ila is located on the northeast shore of Islay, just a short distance from Port Askaig. Prior to the distillery, the site had been used previously for smelting lead from ore that was mined a short distance away. The distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson. It was struggling to cope with demand in the late 1960s and was closed in 1972 for an expansion programme. It closed with two stills and opened in 1974 with six. Caol Ila was for many years used only as a component for vatted and blended whiskies, most commonly Johnnie Walker. It was only in 1989 that it became available for sale in its native form. It is now available in a young edition with 7 year old whisky as its base, a 12 year old and various finishes and limited editions. Each May a special release is made of between 1000 and 3500 bottles to coincide with Feis Ile Islay celebrations. Current production is 5,000,000 litres per year on a five days a week working pattern and it consumes 200 tons of barley per week. Of this, 85% goes into blended whisky and 15% into single malts. Its capacity is 6,500,000 litres per year.
The distillery currently mashes 12½ tons of mash 3-4 times a day. Two washes at 65°C and 85°C create 58,000 litres of wort, which is fermented in one of ten wash backs. The distillery has six stills. There are many different whiskies available including a 12-year old aged in all refill casks, Moch which is an 8-10 year old spirit, Distiller's edition which is 12 years in refill and 3-6 months in Muscatel, the 3000 limited edition which is first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon and then finished in red wine casks.
Spirit Of Smoke - Cask Draw and Tasting £60
Duncan lead the tasting session, though as I was the only attendee it was a more private experience and a chat about whatever came to mind. The casks were the same as those tasted in 2023, but two years older. They were coming the end and would be replaced soon with similar ones.
Various cask strength whiskies were available for tasting:
- 18 year old 56.1% refill Bourbon distilled on 03-Dec-2006
- 14 year old 55.5% first fill Bourbon distilled on 29-Sep-2010
- 21 year old 50.2% refill Bourbon distilled on 19-Apr-2004
- 15 year old 54.4%, 10 years in refill Bourbon then the whisky was transferred out, the cask recharred and filled for 2 months with Moscatel and then the whisky put back for a further five years. Distilled on 01-Dec-2009
- 18 year old 55.0%, 16 years in refill Bourbon then 2 years in virgin oak distilled 08-Sep-2006
Purchases
