{"product_id":"caol-ila-35-year-old-1990-smws-single-1st-fill-ex-bourbon-hogshead-53-516-smouldering-delights-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2026-70cl","title":"Caol Ila 35 Year Old 1990 SMWS Single 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead 53.516 Smouldering Delights Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2026) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCaol Ila 35 Year Old 1990 SMWS Single 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead 53.516 Smouldering Delights Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2026) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of 230 bottles produced from a single 1st fill bourbon hogshead\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eScotch Malt Whisky Society\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas founded in Edinburgh in 1983 by Phillip 'Pip' Hills who, while travelling around Scotland in the 1970s, fell in love with whiskies drawn straight from the cask. After he expanded his syndicate the Society was purchased by Glenmorangie PLC in 2004. In 2015, the Society was sold back to private investors. In June 2021, the private owners floated the holding company The Artisanal Spirits Company plc on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has a unique code system where the first number refers to the distillery and the second refers to the cask from which the bottle comes. SMWS also offers the largest range of distilleries of any independent bottler. These curiously named drams really do have something for every whisky lover!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe SMWS are one of the Britain's most revered independent bottlers with a worldwide network of partner bars with one mission of getting as much whisky at natural cask strength without water to different nations including USA, Canada, Switzerland, UK, Austria, Germany and many others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWarm oak and honey mingle with smoked pears and sea air, sailing alongside grapefruit zest and honey-glazed lobster. The palate reveals toffee apples and lemon-dressed prawns, finishing with the comforting sweetness of vanilla sponge cake, capturing the essence of a maritime journey.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis felt like watching an aficionado excitedly preparing to experience their cigar. They carefully cut the end of the cigar to gently remove the wrapper so that the tobacco leaves remain intact, before finally smelling it unlit. Now they ensure a smooth burn and focus on the flavours – saffron buns, treacle, sticky ginger parkin and a chocolate and stout cake. Following careful reduction, the scent was that of baking a black sesame babka and preparing a sundried tomato vinaigrette using maple syrup as a sweetener. On the palate, we were served a lamb merguez containing many spices such as smoky rose harissa and smoked paprika, alongside sea salt and honey butter popcorn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Caol Ila\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\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\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/scotchwhisky.com\/whiskypedia\/2624\/diageo\/\"\u003eDiageo\u003c\/a\u003e) 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\u003cp\u003e51.4% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Caol Ila","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53369392333138,"sku":"CAOL35SMWS53.516","price":629.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/CaolIla35YearOld1990SMWSSingle1stFillEx-BourbonHogshead53.516SmoulderingDelightsIslaySingleMaltScotchWhisky_2026_70cl.jpg?v=1778251689","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/caol-ila-35-year-old-1990-smws-single-1st-fill-ex-bourbon-hogshead-53-516-smouldering-delights-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2026-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}