Caol Ila 2008/2025 - 17 y.o. - 1st Fill Amontillado Hogshead #306604 (Best Dram)

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 51.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Caol Ila matured in a first-fill Amontillado sherry hogshead. The distillery distilled the whisky on 9 April 2008; after 17 years, Michel Reick bottled it from cask 306604 for Best Dram on 17 June 2025. The single cask yielded 262 bottles at cask strength, 51.9%. The whisky is neither coloured nor chill-filtered.

Dry, nutty sherry notes meet maritime peat smoke. Dried fruit and citrus add sweetness and freshness, while pepper, oak, salt and liquorice bring spice and a salty contrast.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Intense peat smoke sits alongside salty sea air on the nose. Nuts and dried fruit, pepper, a hint of oak and citrus complete the aroma.
• Palate: On the palate, peat smoke, nuts and spices mingle with sweet dried fruit. The whisky feels soft, smooth and full-bodied, with subtle oak spice and mild salty liquorice.
• Finish: The finish is long and intense. Smoke, mild pepper and oak spice linger alongside nutty dryness, sea salt and sweet dried fruit.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caol Ila has produced Scotch whisky near Port Askaig on Islay, beside the Sound of Islay, since 1846. The distillery is known for its smoky, maritime character. Michel Reick is an independent bottler who releases selected single casks under Best Dram without colouring or chill filtration.

Facts: