Sold outAug 2025In short · Caol Ila (Islay), 12 years.
“The nose evoked the seashore – tarry driftwood, rock pools, seaweed and beach bonfires (sausage sizzle time) – with puffer boats in a harbour nearby.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
SMWS 53.473 is a single cask of Caol Ila, in the Islay region, 12 years old, bottled at 58.4%, released in the Aug 2025 Outturn. Every Society bottle numbered 53.x is from Caol Ila.
Specs, price and tasting-note extract from the SMWS. Full notes on smws.com.
Hidden in a cove above Port Askaig, gazing across the churning Sound of Islay to the Paps of Jura, Caol Ila (1846) is the island's largest distillery and the quiet engine-room of Johnnie Walker. On its own, though, it is a beauty: oily and cool, olive brine and lemon and a soft grey smoke. Diageo's.