Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo

Fully modernized between 1972 and 1974, Caol Ila escaped the wave of closures sweeping through the Scotch whisky industry in the early 1980s. A key component in numerous blends, including Johnnie Walker, Bulloch Lade and Black Bottle, Caol Ila remained for a long time overshadowed by its illustrious sister Lagavulin. Up until the late 1980s, its malt was available in 12 and 15 year old versions bottled by Bulloch Lade & Co. In the early 1990s, United Distilleries launched two ranges showcasing all of its distilleries, The Rare Malts Selection and Flora & Fauna. Four versions of Caol Ila would be bottled first (vintage and cask strength limited editions), followed by a 43% 14 year old. Note that a 1983 cask strength in the very short-lived Fauna & Flora Cask Strength range and, more importantly, a classic 15 year old sherry cask - The Manager's Dram - were also released. In order to relieve Lagavulin of the pressure on its stocks in the early 2000s, Caol Ila was officially released on the market in 2002 in the Hidden Malt range, alongside three versions of its malt, a no-age-statement cask strength (55%), a 12 year old, and an 18 year old, followed by a 1978 25 year old in 2004.

A small batch Caol Ila 12 year old (#90421-90424) distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2005. Ian Macleod & Company Ltd was founded in 1933 by Leonard Russell Senior. It was bought by the Russell family in 1963 and Peter Russell took over at the helm. At the time Ian Macleod bottled blends and independent bottlings, including the famous Chieftain’’s range of single casks built from the stocks amassed by Leonard Russell Senior when he was founding his brokerage company in 1936. The business became Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd in 2003 after buying Glengoyne, which was later joined by Tamdhu in 2011 and Rosebank in 2017. A limited edition of 1,428 bottles.