More about Caol Ila

Caol Ila is the quiet giant of Islay: one of the island's biggest distilleries, yet best known for a lighter, more elegant style of peated whisky than its brawnier neighbors along the south coast.

The distillery was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson near Port Askaig, on the shore of the narrow strait between Islay and Jura that gives it its name (Caol Ila is Gaelic for "Sound of Islay"). It was demolished and rebuilt in the early 1970s, and today it belongs to Diageo. Most of what it makes disappears into blends, Johnnie Walker above all, which is part of why the single malt can feel like an insider's pick.

The house style is pale, peaty and coastal, with floral and peppery notes and a brininess that never tips into medicinal. The 12 Year Old is the benchmark official bottling. Caol Ila is also a favorite of independent bottlers such as Signatory, whose single-cask releases, often at cask strength and without chill-filtration or added color, show just how much range this spirit has.