Caol Ila 13 y.o. G&M Discovery in GP

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This 13-year-old Caol Ila belongs to Gordon & MacPhail’s Discovery range and was bottled in 2018 at 43%. The bourbon-cask profile combines fruity sweetness and malt with the generally heavily smoky Islay style, although the peat smoke remains gentle on the nose.

Apricot jam and vanilla open the profile. Pineapple, kiwi and banana then follow with lemon peel and malt, before toasted marshmallow and glowing campfire embers define the long finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose combines apricot jam and pronounced vanilla notes with gentle peat smoke, while air-dried meat provides a savoury contrast.
• Palate: On the palate, juicy pineapple, kiwi and banana emerge with delicate sweetness, balanced by malt and lively lemon peel.
• Finish: The long finish remains smoky, recalling toasted marshmallow over gently glowing campfire embers.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caol Ila distilled this 13-year-old Islay single malt, while independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail handled its selection, maturation in a bourbon cask and bottling for the Discovery range. The distillery was founded on Islay in 1846. When it was rebuilt in the early 1970s, its six stills were replicated in their previous form to preserve the light, oily and peaty house style.

Gordon & MacPhail began as a grocery and spirits merchant in Elgin in 1895. The Urquhart family developed the company into a specialist in selecting distillates, matching them with suitable oak casks and maturing Scotch whiskies over extended periods.

Facts: