Caol Ila is an Islay distillery that Hector Henderson built in 1846 beside Port Askaig, overlooking the Sound of Islay.1,2,3 Its name is the Gaelic for the Sound of Islay.1,2,3 It was demolished in 1972 and rebuilt as the biggest distillery on Islay.1,2,3Diageo has owned it since 1997.4,5
Very good review score, 87 out of 100Very good87/100
Naked and vertical Caol Ila, with the spotlight firmly on coastal notes: brine, seaweed, cold ashes and a moderate tarry edge.
ash
bread
brine
dough
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By Ruben
Silent, 1930–1934
Producing, 1934–1941
Silent, 1941–1974
Producing, 1974–today
1846190019502000Today
Early owners
After a poor start, it passed in 1854 to Norman Buchanan, who owned the Isle of Jura Distillery.5,6,7 In 1863 Glasgow whisky traders Bulloch Lade & Company bought it after Buchanan went bankrupt, while the market for blended whisky was booming.1,6,8 The 1871 census named Duncan Johnston, a nephew of John Johnston of Lagavulin, as distillery manager.6 By 1879 the distillery had been rebuilt and expanded.1,9 It had its own pier, where steam ships unloaded supplies and loaded whisky for the mainland.1,9
Sources disagree: when Norman Buchanan took over. This page uses 1854.
In his 1887 book, Alfred Barnard described 2 stills, a worm tub of copper coils, and floor maltings where malt was dried with peat alone.6,9 Output was over 147,000 gallons a year, and the water came from a lake called Torrabus.6,9
Bankruptcy and the Distillers Company
In 1920 rising coal and barley costs and US Prohibition bankrupted Bulloch Lade.1,6,8 The distillery passed through J.P O'Brien Ltd to a group of businessmen, though Whiskypedia names Robertson & Baxter as owner from 1920.1,6,8 In 1927 the Distillers Company Limited took a controlling interest, buying the distillery from Robertson & Baxter.1,5,6 In 1930 it was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers, which took all the shares.6,7
Rebuilt in the 1970s
In 1972 the old distillery was demolished, except its warehouses, and rebuilt with 6 stills instead of 2.1,3,5 Production resumed in 1974 in a larger plant designed by George Leslie Darge, and the new stills copied the old ones to keep the whisky’s character.1,2,6
United Distillers and Diageo
In 1986 Guinness took over the Distillers Company and formed United Distillers.4,5 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo.
Next: Rebuilt in the 1970s, United Distillers and Diageo, Unpeated spirit and a bigger plant, How it makes its spirit
Diageo says production restarted in 1934 after a stop that Wikipedia dates 1930 to 1937, though Whiskypedia and the Gazetteer for Scotland describe almost continuous production.1,5,6
Wartime limits on labour and barley stopped it again from 1941 until 1945.1,4,6
Sources disagree: when it reopened. This page uses 1934.
Caol Ila also makes unpeated 'Highland style' spirit for blends, which sources date to the 1980s downturn or to 1999.5,6 Whiskypedia says the unpeated runs used spare capacity and kept the distillery open in the 1980s.5,6 In 2011 Diageo added a new mash tun and 2 washbacks, the vessels where fermentation takes place, to make 700,000 more litres a year.4,5,6 Most of its spirit goes into Diageo's blends; Wikipedia puts the share at around 95%, in blends such as Johnnie Walker Black Label.5,6,10 Pierrick Guillaume became distillery manager in 2017, and Samuel Hale, who ran Diageo's Port Ellen maltings, was later named to succeed him.11 On 25 August 2022 Diageo opened a new visitor centre at the distillery.2,4,12 Diageo counts Caol Ila as one of 4 distilleries that are key ingredients in the Johnnie Walker blend.2,4,12
How it makes its spirit
Its malt comes from Diageo's own Port Ellen Maltings, and its water from Loch nam Ban.2,4,6 Its malt is heavily peated, made to the same specification as Lagavulin's.5 Fermentation lasts at least 55 hours, in 10 washbacks.4,5 8 of the washbacks are wood and 2 are steel.5 It has 6 copper stills: 3 wash stills and 3 spirit stills.4,6 The stills are plain in shape and heated by steam.5 Shell and tube condensers cool the still vapour.5 Compared with Lagavulin, its longer fermentation and taller stills help reduce the heavy phenols.5
