Caol Ila
Distillery

The Distillery

The Caol Ila distillery, near the Islay port town of Port Askaig, overlooks the Sound of Islay (a strip of water between Islay and Jura) after which the distillery is named.

Originally founded in 1846, it passed through numerous owners before eventually becoming part of the Scottish Malt Distillers group in 1930. This group was then taken over by drinks giant Diageo, who own the distillery to this day.

The distillery was knocked down entirely in 1972 and rebuilt to the George Leslie Darge design, common in many distilleries of that area. It’s large glazed curtain walls on the still house are probably the most easily recognizable trait.

Described by some as one of the lighter peated islay malts, the style is oily and smoky with a seaside tang and can exhibit peaty, floral and peppery notes.

While whisky from this distillery was originally used mainly in blends such as Johnnie Walker, the increasing popularity of single malts has seen it become much more popular since they announced a range of three drams in the early 2000s. There range has since grown exponentially.