Caol Ila Unpeated 12 year old Special Release 2011, 64%

An established regular member of Diageo's annual set of Special Releases, this expression celebrates the lesser-known side of Islay's largest distillery; its production of a non-smoked expression. It was this unpeated style that saved Caol Ila during the great decimation of distilleries in the early 1980s. This example is intense and needs LOTS of water for its fragrance of cut grass, sherbet, and coconut water to emerge. The palate shows boiled sweets and has a pleasingly clinging quality. £53