Caol Ila 2011 14 Years Old Ximénez Spinola Finish – Finn Thomson (54% - 700ml)

Caol Ila was founded in 1846 on the shores of the Sound of Islay, in a sheltered bay on the eastern coast of the island, facing the Paps of Jura. It is the largest distillery on Islay, yet for decades it was rarely seen as a single malt: the majority of the spirit goes into blends, Johnnie Walker above all. Its peated character is less aggressive than that of Lagavulin or Ardbeg, and the reason lies in the process: long fermentations and tall stills produce a lighter, more defined smoke on a clean and maritime distillate.

Finn Thomson is the ninth generation of a Perthshire family that has revolved around whisky for three centuries, from the illicit stills on the banks of the River Tay to the shop that great-grandfather Peter opened in Perth in 1908. In 1922, upon learning of the construction of the nearby Gleneagles Hotel, Peter renamed the house blend Golden Beneagles — a name chosen to link it to what would become the most exclusive address in the area.

The cask chosen for this finish comes from Ximénez-Spínola, a bodega in Jerez founded in 1729. It is a unique case in the Jerez landscape: the only house that works exclusively with Pedro Ximénez grapes, grown by themselves and sun-dried using the soleo method. The grapes lose around 70% of their weight, and from one tonne only about two hundred litres of must remain. The result is a concentrated, dense PX that leaves a deep imprint on the casks.

The Caol Ila 2011 14 Years Old Finn Thomson is a peated single malt Scotch whisky, distilled on 18 May 2011 and finished in a single PX Ximénez-Spínola cask (#312150), before being bottled on 23 October 2025 at its natural strength of 54% vol. without chill filtration and without the addition of colouring, in only 120 bottles.