A miniature bottle of Caol Ila 12 Year Old bottled by James MacArthur's.
Caol Ila was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson on Islay's east coast, overlooking the Sound of Islay, from which it takes its name. It was purchased by Bulloch Lade in 1857 and by DCL in 1927, who ran the distillery continuously until 1972, when it was demolished and rebuilt with six stills rather than two. Caol Ila became Islay's biggest producer and was a crucial component for blends, notably Johnnie Walker. The distillery survived the early 1980s downturn by producing an unpeated 'Highland style' malt, and it still produces unpeated whisky every year, depending on owner Diageo's requirements. While Caol Ila had been bottled as a single malt by independents, the first official bottling was a 12 year old released in 2002. More expansion took place in 2011, with a new mash tun and washbacks installed which increased capacity to 6.5 million litres per year.
This lot comes from the extensive collection of a Merseyside collector who began his hobby with bottles bought for guests as digestifs at private dinner parties in the early 1970s. His interest led to him advertising in the UK national newspapers, and buying and selling bottles as far afield as Australia, America and Ireland, with his last significant addition being a collection he purchased from Stoke On Trent in 1984.
This Caol Ila 12 Year Old sold at our online auction for £75
