Bottle of The Month: Caol Ila 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky

With foggy mornings, early sunsets, and cool evenings still aplenty, what better way – we think – to warm up than by a fire with a glass of whisky in hand? Those drams with a bit of peat to their makeup help set the scene even better.

This month, we're keeping it peaty with a 12 year old single cask release from Caol Ila that we bottled in September 2015 and still have a few bottles left.

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While much of the stock for Caol Ila goes into blends, the company is best known for its distillers edition releases and its own bottling of a 12 year old single malt. When we came across this cask last year, we knew it was something special and couldn't wait to get it bottled for you.

Now, if you haven't made it to the beautiful island of Islay, let us paint you a picture of where this latest whisky originates from. Nestled in the Sound of Islay, Caol Ila was established in 1846 and today is the biggest of all of Islay's distilleries.

While it is not known for being a picturesque, touristy distillery inside – having been fully rebuilt as part of a £1m refurbishment in the 1970s – the views from its still room out towards the Paps of Jura are incredible.

Caol Ila gets its malt from the Port Ellen maltings up the road, and is known for its citrussy, oily and smoky flavour profile. For our Gleann Mor release, we're bringing you one that's been aged in a refill hogshead.

On the nose, find notes of lemon peel, shortbread, motor oil, honeysuckle and vanilla beans – it draws you in, and is surprisingly fresh. A sip reveals an unctuously oily texture, with notes of cloves, red chillies, zesty lemons, marshmallows, campfire smoke and fresh grass.

The finish then darts between white cake batter, apples and charcoal. It's a delightfully brazen dram, that shouts to be drunk by the warmth of a fire after a long walk near a blustery sea.