Chapter One Clanyard Caol Ila 10 year old Fable Whisky

Few distilleries combine tradition and modernity as effectively as Caol Ila.
The distillery is one of Scotland's most remote, nestled in a bay in Port Askaig at the tip of the Isle of Islay off Scotland's west coast.
The distillery overlooks the wild Sound of Islay from which it takes its name and looks across to the Isle of Jura.

A pier was built in front of it in the 1860s and for the next 100 years two steamers a week delivered raw materials and spirits.
But for all its oddity, Caol Ila is an industrial giant, an island colossus, and to meet growing demands it has been rebuilt several times, including an expansion in 2010.

Worth knowing about the distillery
Caol Ila once owned its own steamboat called the Pibroch.
It was decommissioned in 1972.
When ex-distillery manager Billy Stitchell retired after 39 years, he ended the family connection to the distillery.
His father, both grandfathers and his great-grandfather worked there.
The grand still room with windows of the distillery offers one of the most breathtaking views in the whiskey world.

Nose: Clear BBQ smoke at the beginning, lime and sea salt, followed by aromas of smoked ham, ash, sea air, liquorice and toasted bread - softening with a little water, the scent of sea and seaweed
Palate: Leather, honey sweetness and toasted bread, along with white pepper, allspice, cloves and lemon candy
Finish: Long and full on the finish with notes of smoked meat, lemon peel and wheat biscuits

Distilled: 18.05.2011
Bottled: 26.04.2022
Cask-No.: 312139
Outturn: 288 bottles