Caol Ila Distillery

Caol Ila is derived from Gaeli for "Sound of Islay". by virtue of the location. Founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson, but was quickly changed hands in 1854 to Norman Buchana, the owner of the Isle of Jura Distillery. Between then to 1920, the distillery changed several hands and a business man formed Caol Ila Distillery Company Ltd where shares was sold to investors. Eventually Diageo acquired the company. Now the largest distillery on the island, producing double that of even Laphroaig.

Caol Ila Distillery is located near Port Askaig on the isle of Islay. Currently owned by Diageo - one of the largest spirit company in the world, operating in over 180 countries. Research shows, the whisky is ranked 14th most collectible in 2021 out of a total of over 130 distilleries in Scotland today.

Islay is well-known for its heavy peated characters, but Caol Ila is a lighter Islay whisky. Other than single malt, it is used heavily (around 95% of their production) in blends such as Johnnie Walker's Black Label. Since 1999, the distillery started producing a non-peated "highland spirit". Gaining a lot of new fans who like Islay whisky but not in favour of the heavy peat. Different expressions of Caol Ila are rated highly by whisky critics and judges of international spirit competitions, ie. San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Wine Enthusiast.