Sold outNov 2025In short · Caol Ila (Islay), 13 years.
“The neat nose veritably bristled with sweet, natural tar extracts, then pure creosote, salted Dutch liquorice and the sweetest, richest of peat smokes.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
SMWS 53.499 is a single cask of Caol Ila, in the Islay region, 13 years old, bottled at 55.4%, released in the Nov 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.