Caol Ila

Caol Ila – The smoky classic from the east coast of Islay

The Caol Ila distillery on the rugged east coast of the Scottish island of Islay is synonymous with peaty single malt whisky of unmistakable character. It was founded in 1846 by the Glasgow distiller Hector Henderson. The name is Old Gaelic and translates as ‘Sound of Islay’ – a tribute to the strait that separates the island from the Scottish mainland and whose salty breeze continues to shape the whisky to this day.

The distillery’s history has been marked by several changes of ownership and a remarkable reconstruction. After changing hands several times in the 1920s, it was taken over by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1927. In the 1970s, a comprehensive modernisation took place: the entire distillery, with the exception of the warehouses, was demolished and, between 1972 and 1974, rebuilt from scratch at a cost of one million pounds. As part of this, six new copper stills, carefully modelled on the old ones, copper stills were installed to preserve the whisky’s distinctive character. This investment saved Caol Ila from the wave of closures that affected many Scottish distilleries in the 1980s. Today, the distillery is part of the global group Diageo.

With an annual production capacity of over 6.5 million litres, Caol Ila is the largest of the eight active distilleries on Islay. The water used in production comes from Loch nam Ban , whilst the peated malt is sourced from the distillery’s own malting plant in Port Ellen. The core range comprises the 12-, 18- and 25-year-old expressions, as well as the Distillers Edition . The 12-year-old Caol Ila is one of the famous ‘Classic Malts of Scotland’.

The whiskies from Caol Ila are renowned for their unique balance of intense peaty smoke and a surprising, fresh sweetness. Dominant flavours of citrus fruits, vanilla and a subtle maritime note with medicinal undertones characterise the taste. The finish is long, smoky and dry, with lingering spiciness and a hint of salt and oak. Caol Ila thus remains an undisputed classic for all lovers of peaty Islay whiskies.