Douglas Laing XOP Caol Ila 25 Year Old Scotch Whisky 2022
Douglas Laing XOP Caol Ila 25 Year Old Scotch Whisky (2022 release) is a 53.9% ABV natural cask-strength Islay single malt from the Xtra Old Particular single-cask range — distilled at Caol Ila in 1996 and bottled in 2022 from one cask, free from chill filtration and artificial coloring. From the beautifully sited distillery near Port Askaig (established 1846 by Hector Henderson), this is quarter-century-old Islay peat at full strength: big, round, pelagic notes — beach, warm rock pools, harbor wall — ahead of sweet damp earth, barbecue, soot and ash. Presented in the wooden XOP box. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 53.9% — natural cask strength, no chill filtration, natural color
- Size: 700mL
- Age: 25 years — single cask
- Dates: distilled 1996; bottled 2022
- Origin: Caol Ila Distillery, Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland (est. 1846)
Twenty-Five Years of Islay, Undiluted
Caol Ila is Islay's quiet giant — most of its output disappears into blends — so a 25-year-old single cask at natural strength is a rare window into the distillery's true character. A quarter century has rounded the peat into something maritime and almost gentle: candied barley sugar against trailing smoke, salt and sweet damp earth. For the Islay collector, this is the distillery unmasked. Browse Douglas Laing single casks or explore peated scotch whiskies.
Tasting Notes
Nose: big and round — pelagic, beachy, warm rock pool, harbor wall. Palate: sweet damp earth, barbecue, soot and ash. Finish: candied barley sugar against peated barley, salt and trailing smoke.
How to Enjoy
Neat with patience — or a teaspoon of water to open the candied sweetness against the smoke. An after-dinner dram for peat lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is XOP? Douglas Laing's Xtra Old Particular range — premium single-cask bottlings from their finest family stocks.
What is the ABV? 53.9% — natural cask strength.
Where is Caol Ila? Near Port Askaig on the Isle of Islay, Scotland; founded 1846.
Islay at its most honest — order XOP Caol Ila 25 online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.