{"product_id":"caol-ila-16-year-old-2008-gordon-macphail-connoisseurs-choice-single-refill-hogshead-312775-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-uk-exclusive-2024-70cl","title":"Caol Ila 16 Year Old 2008 Gordon \u0026 Macphail Connoisseurs Choice Single Refill Hogshead #312775 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky UK Exclusive (2024) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCaol Ila 16 Year Old 2008 Gordon \u0026amp; Macphail Connoisseurs Choice Single Refill Hogshead #312775 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky UK Exclusive (2024) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"w-full mt-6 leading-relaxed product-description\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prose max-w-full\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDistilled at Caol Ila in 2008, this Single Malt was allowed to mature for 16 years in a single hogshead cask. It was bottled by Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail in 2024.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon \u0026amp; MacPhail is an independent bottler and distiller of Scotch Whisky, founded in 1895 and located in Elgin in the north-east of Scotland. It is a family business owned by the Urquhart Family. Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail is the Trading name of Speymalt Whisky Distributors Ltd. A June 2023 article in Forbes magazine described the company as an \"independent bottler\" which \"sources its juice\" and as \"one of the most prestigious IBs in the industry\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Caol Ila\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA perceptive whisky critic once called Caol Ila 'Mr Consistent'. It is a fair assessment. A powerhouse it might be in terms of volume, but Caol Ila always seems to manage to hit the perfect balance between maturity and distillery character, no matter whether it is in official or independent bottlings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCaol Ila's distillery character manages to combine a fresh pear note, grassiness, a hint of juniper and distinct notes of the seashore – lobster shells, crab creels and gentle smoke. Although it receives the same spec of malt as sister distillery Lagavulin, Caol Ila’s distillation regime – longer fermentation, higher cut point, taller stills – helps to reduce the heavy phenols. Maturation for the single malt is in refill casks. The unpeated variant is equally delicate, with a fresh, estery and almost floral lift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts importance for blends meant that, until 2002, when a 12-year-old was released, malt lovers had to seek out independent bottlings. Now there is a range including no-age-statement Moch, 18-year-old and 25-year-old, a finished Distiller’s Edition and annual special releases.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was in 1846 that Hector Henderson decided to build a small distillery in a tight bay next to Port Askaig, on Islay’s east coast. He named his venture Caol Ila, Gaelic for the Sound of Islay, the stretch of water which it overlooked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1857 Henderson was bought out by blender Bulloch Lade, which improved the site by building a substantial pier. It was absorbed into DCL (now Diageo ) in 1927 and ran continuously until 1972, when the old distillery was demolished and a new, significantly larger one was built with six stills rather than two. This transformed Caol Ila into Islay’s largest producer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese were still the days before the single malt market had really taken off, and its make was destined for a huge array of blends across the whole whisky industry – most notably within its parent company, it filled requirements for Johnnie Walker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the downturn came in the 1980s, Caol Ila began running unpeated ‘Highland style’ for blends. Not only did it have capacity, but doing so allowed the distillery to stay open. Unpeated is still made every year, with volumes dependent on the forecasts of Diageo’s blending team.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2011, another major revamp took place with a new mash tun and more washbacks being installed, which resulted in capacity increasing to 6.5m litres per annum. During the silent period when contraction was taking place, Bunnahabhain made the peated requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2018, Diageo revealed plans to spend £150m on upgrading tourism facilities, including a new brand home for Johnnie Walker in Edinburgh, and improved visitor centres at Caol Ila, plus Clynelish, Cardhu and Glenkinchie, representing regional styles present in Walker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt Caol Ila, a new visitor centre will be created in the distillery warehouse, including a footbridge entry, new car parking and a bar with views across the Sound of Islay to Jura.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e58.1% AB\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Caol Ila","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52789636006226,"sku":"CAOL16GMCC312775","price":138.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Gordon_MacphailCaolIla16YearOld2008ConnoisseursChoiceSingleRefillHogshead_312775IslaySingleMaltScotchWhisky_2024_70cl.jpg?v=1771951551","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/caol-ila-16-year-old-2008-gordon-macphail-connoisseurs-choice-single-refill-hogshead-312775-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-uk-exclusive-2024-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}