Caol Ila 12 Years Old

A great introduction to the Caol Ila distillery

Caol Ila (pronounced Cull Eela) is Gaelic for 'The Sound of Islay.

Founded in 1846, the Caol Ila (pronounced “Cull Eela”) distillery is situated on the north eastern shores of Islay in Scotland. Somewhat hidden on the rugged east coast, the islanders have been making fine smoky whiskies there since 1846.

The distillery was re-built in 1974 to keep up with increased demand for blended whisky (most of the whisky produced at Caol Ila ends up in blends such as Johnnie Walker) and currently lays claim to being the biggest distillery on Islay.

Though their core range consists of peated whiskies, Caol Ila is one of the few distilleries on Islay producing both peated and unpeated whisky and the distillery occasionally releases unpeated limited edition bottlings.

The barley used is still malted in Port Ellen, the pure spring water comes from the nearby Loch Nam Ban limestone.

Caol Ila 12 Year Old is their entry level peated single malt expression.It doesn’t have much complexity, but it doesn’t need to be complex to be enjoyable. This makes for a great introduction to the Caol Ila distillery profile and it earns bonus points for being a consistent experience. The aromas detected on the nose carry on through the palate and all the way to the finish

Awards

Double gold in 2016 at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition.

Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years in 2015 at the International Whisky Competition.

Gold medal in the category Islay up to 12 Years Old in 2015 at The Spiritis Business.

Gold Medal in 2013 at the International Spirits Challenge.