Caol Ila distillery

Caol Ila - building of the distillery

The Caol Ila - Distillery ( / i ː lə kʌl /; " Sound of Islay " ) is a distillery for whiskey on the Scottish island of Islay. It produces different single malt scotches, including one of the eleven Classic Malts.

History

The distillery was in a bay on the east coast of Islay, just to the north of Port Askaig founded on Islay Sound in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who built also with Littlemill directly. ( Right on the northern end of today's road A 846 ). Not five kilometers north there is Bunnahabhain.

1854 took over Norman Buchanan, the former operator of the Isle of Jura Distillery, a distillery. 1863 Caol Ila fell to Bulloch, loading & Co., which enlarged the distillery in 1879 and renovated. 1920 Caol Ila then went to Robertson & Baxter. 1927 finally landed the distillery at the Distillers Company Limited ( DCL). The operational management delegated DCL 1930, at her daughter Scotish Malt Distillers (SMD ) which it silently laid until 1937. After only four years of production in 1941 was followed the next break, she went to 1945. From April 1972 to January 1974 the distillery was completely renovated during this time were not produced. The number of stills has now been increased from two to six. The owner of DCL was from 1987 to United Distillers (UD), then from 1999 to Diageo. The daughter SMD is now called United Malt and Grain Distillers ( UMGD ) and holds the license until 1992 nor in Bulloch, was charging & Co.. The original bottlings of single malts are again available since 1988.

Production

Caol Ila has a mash tun ( mash do ) ( 11.5 tons ) of stainless steel fermenting vats ten (wash backs) ( per 63,000 liters ) of larch, three wash stills ( per 35 345 l ) and three spirit stills ( 29,549 liters each ) under vapor lighting. The malt used comes from the Port Ellen Maltings and has about 30 ppm of phenol. The water for the production comes from the hole nam Ban ( Torrabolls hole ).

Besides its own warehouses also the closed since 1929 Lochindaal distillery at Port Charlotte be used. The annual output is more than 6.0 million liters. Most of the production is used for blending. In addition to the blends of Bulloch charge here is a vatted malt called Glen Ila mentioned. The malts are traditionally hardly aged in sherry casks, which (mostly by independent bottlers ) makes the few sherry cask bottlings coveted rarities.

The 12 -year-old Hidden Malt is used from 2006 to expand the Classic Malts series as a second malt from Islay. There are also a filling for the Distillers Edition of the same series with a Moscatel Finish.

Products

Caol Ila 16 years 57.9 % ( Cadenhead )

Color: White Wine Yellow
Fragrance: Dark cocoa. Peppery. Small traces of nut and gasoline
Taste: The cocoa note is zunichtegemacht quickly by a sharp presence. With a drop of water in abundance
Finish: Very long and slightly smoky. Dry and warm
Less conspicuous than expected

Caol Ila 1982 43.0 % ( Scotch Single Malt Circle )

Production: September 1982, bottled October 1997
Nose: Malty, with a slight ( typical ) petrol note. In this case, a bright, non-identifiable as alcohol overtone
Taste: Beautiful reproduction of the nose. The Malztöne come here easily in the background
Finish: Expected long. With clearer presence of gasoline tones
Price: up to 150 euros for 0.7 liters

Caol Ila 1989 60.5 % ( The Scotch Malt Whisky Society )

Production: November 1989, bottled September 1998
Nose: Malty, with a slight ( typical ) petrol note. Earthy. Something wet leaves
Taste: Beautiful reproduction of the nose. The Malztöne to maintain a significant presence
Finish: Long and taste for more
Price: up to 150 euros for 0.7 liters