Caol Ila Distillery

Caol Ila Distillery stands on the north-eastern shore of Islay, a windswept island off Scotland’s west coast. It overlooks the narrow strait between Islay and Jura, a view that gave the place its Gaelic name meaning ‘Sound of Islay’. Founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson, the distillery passed through several owners before becoming part of Diageo. In the 1880s it produced more than 147,000 imperial gallons of whisky each year. The original buildings were demolished in 1972 and rebuilt in the same style, with glazed curtain walls around the still houses. The whisky made here is lighter than many Islay malts, pale in colour and marked by peaty, floral and peppery notes. Around ninety-five per cent of the output goes into Johnnie Walker Black Label blends. Since 1999 the distillery has also made a non-peated spirit intended for the highlands. Its twelve-year-old expression has won two double gold, three gold and one silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition between 2005 and 2010. Visitors walk past the long, low still houses and see the mash tun and washbacks where the spirit is created. The view across the strait to Jura’s Paps is framed by the glazed walls. Beyond the buildings lie the peaty moors that supply the malt’s signature smokiness. The air carries the scent of malted barley and the faint tang of sea salt from the Sound.