Caol Ila 2012
Single malt Scotch whisky · 70cl
Pre-sale: bottles are dispatched from 18 November. Distilled at Caol Ila on Islay in 2012 and matured for 14 years in a single ex-bourbon hogshead, a sweet, gently smoky Chronograph release with sea air running all the way through it.
Tasting notes
- Honey & Vanilla
- Bonfire Smoke
- Sea Salt
- Barley Sugar
- Green Apple
- Lemon Zest
UK delivery is insured and tracked: free on orders over £75, £4.99 below that. We aim to dispatch your bottle by the next business day, with most UK orders arriving within 2-3 working days.
Why we chose this cask
Out of the samples on the table, this cask had the balance: the smoke never takes over the glass, which makes it far more approachable to drink, and it carries a longer, rounder finish than the casks tasted alongside it. That combination is exactly why we chose to bottle it.
One cask, 281 bottles.
Who it is for
For the drinker who likes a little smoke but not a mouthful of peat.
Sweet, coastal and gently smoky, welcoming for someone new to Islay, with the length and balance to keep a seasoned drinker coming back.
Flavour profile
Tasting notes
Pale straw, bright and clean in the glass, with a faint green-gold cast at the rim.
Sweet from the outset: vanilla, soft honey and a touch of ripe orchard fruit, before a gentle curl of ashy bonfire smoke moves in alongside them. The smoke folds into the sweetness rather than sitting on top of it, more like the last embers of a beach fire than anything sharp or medicinal. Sea air, crushed lemon zest and warm cereal keep it fresh, and with a little time a faint mineral note, like wet pebbles after rain, starts to show through.
Smooth and well integrated, with barley sugar and toasted grain arriving first, quickly joined by a soft wave of vanilla cream. The smoke builds gradually and gently, more warm hearth than peat bog, carrying a light salinity that ties it back to its coastal home, with a touch of green apple keeping it lively. Real presence and weight at cask strength, without ever feeling hot or sharp.
- Honey & Vanilla
- Bonfire Smoke
- Sea Salt
- Barley Sugar
- Green Apple
- Lemon Zest
The cask
Nº 301300About Caol Ila
IslayCaol Ila sits in a sheltered cove on the north-east coast of Islay, looking across the Sound of Islay to the Paps of Jura. Founded in 1846 and rebuilt in the 1970s, it is the island's largest distillery, known for a lighter, cleaner style of peated spirit.
The bottle finder
Find your perfect bottle
Tell us how you like to drink. We match your answers against the tasting notes we published for every bottle we have, and hand back the two or three that fit, with the reasons.
Who is the bottle for?
Where should the smoke sit?
Which of these reads best?
How do you take it?
How well do they know whisky?
What is the budget?
Matching against the ledger…
Highly Commended, Independent Bottler of the Year
Icons of Whisky Scotland 2026. Every whisky we bottle is a rare find or hidden gem.
More from the range
3 other Chronograph casks are in bottle today.