Caol Ila 11 Year (Berry Bros and Rudd)

 

Caol Ila is a fascinating distillery. Easily the largest facility on Islay, because it's mostly buried by Diageo the general public has almost no awareness of the name. The people I meet in bars who can even pronounce Caol Ila are few and far between. 

Yet since so much of the spirit gets sold off to independent bottlers (although that situation seems vaguely precarious, and a couple years ago there were rumors it might end or at least curtail), there are myriad presentations of Caol Ila, some of which are simply stunning. 

Caol Ila 31 Year (SMWS 53.504 "Maritime Drift")

 

There is something a little magical about very old whisky (30+ years old) ... it tends to balance out, sharp corners get rounded, harsh alcohol hits evaporate, and in general most old whisky tends to gain a lot of depth, but the sheer time required for the investment means that it's expensive and few people end up trying them.

There is also specifically a little magical about very old Islay whisky. All the things people commonly object to: the peat, the smoke, the medicinal aspects, the bracing strength, the general in-your-face nature ... well, they can be civilized by time, reigned in. Secret strengths can be revealed.