Caol Ila 9 Year Old 2011 Sauternes Cask Finish S.V.

Quantity limited to 1 bottle per household.

This Caol Ila 9 year old is part of a trilogy of wine cask-finished whiskies from Signatory Vintage, as part of their approachable Un-Chillfiltered Collection which explores whiskies that are neither chill-filtrated nor have added colouring.

Caol Ila (pronounced “Cull Eela”), is the Gaelic name for the Sound of Islay, the narrow strait which separates the island from Jura. The name comes from its geographical location, which is less than a mile north of Port Askaig on the edge of the Sound of Islay.

In spite of being one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, the single malt that she produces enjoys a very high reputation amongst whisky lovers, being characteristically more smoky than peaty, mineral, undeniably marine and at the same time nicely fruity.

Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the region of the same name in the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes represents the sweeter side of Bordeaux and is made from the region's rare white grapes. Wines from Sauternes, especially the Premier Cru Supérieur estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, largely due to the very high cost of production.

This Sauternes cask-matured version, a limited release of 387 bottles after being finished in the sweet wine cask for 21 months, takes us between notes of smoke, honey and candied fruit.