Caol Ila Distillery Information
Caol Ila is the Gaelic name for the “Sound of Islay”; the narrow water separating the isle of Islay from the Isle of Jura. The distillery was founded at The Sound of Islay in 1846 by a gentleman named Hector Henderson, who also owned the Glaswegian distillery Camlachie. It wasn’t very successful at the time, though, and the distillery was sold in 1854 to Henderson, Lamont & Co. In 1863, Norman Buchanan, who also owned the Isle of Jura distillery, took over and remained in control until he went bankrupt. By 1879, the distillery once again passed hands, this time to Bullocch, Lade & Co; whisky blenders from Glasgow (who at the time ran Camlachie). Bulloch, Lade & Co were quite religious and had a chapel erected close to the distillery. They were also responsible for a major expansion of the distillery in the 1870s.
In 1920, the Caol Ila Distillery went into voluntary liquidation, and sold to J. P. O’Brien Ltd, who resold it to the Caol Ila Distillery Co Ltd (a subsidiary of Roberston & Baxter Ltd) in the same year. By 1927,the Distillers Company obtained a majority amount of shares in the distillery, and transferred the distillery’s ownership to Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. in 1930. The distillery was subsequently shut down, due to the crisis (and American prohibition), and remained closed until 1937. It again was forced to close from 1942 to 1945 (during World War II), but resumed production shortly after the end of the war.
It was closed again between 1972 and 1974 when almost the entire distillery was demolished (the only remaining structures were the unique 3-storied warehouses), and rebuilt to better use the limited space available. The amount of still at the time was also increased from 2 to 6. In 1986, the Caol Ila distillery once again changed hands, and became part of United Distillers Ltd (now Diageo).
In 2011, Diageo carried out a further upgrade, installing a new mash tun and two additional washbacks (bringing the total to ten) and raising annual capacity to around 6.5 million litres of pure alcohol — most of it lightly peated spirit destined for blends, particularly Johnnie Walker, with occasional unpeated “Highland style” runs made periodically to give Diageo’s blenders flexibility.
In 2022, a new visitor centre opened at Caol Ila as part of Diageo’s “Four Corners of Scotland” project, alongside Cardhu, Clynelish and Glenkinchie — the four malt distilleries most closely tied to Johnnie Walker.
Caol Ila Whiskies
Most of the core Caol Ila range is matured in 2nd or 3rd fill ex-Bourbon casks, with the Distillers Edition finished separately in Moscatel casks.:
- Moch – no age statement, lighter and less peated than the 12 Year Old
- 12 Year Old
- Cask Strength – no age statement
- 18 Year Old
- 25 Year Old
- Distillers Edition – finished in Moscatel casks
The have also been some special releases:
- 25 Year Old – 1978 ; Distilled in 1978 and released in 2004. Cask strength (59.4 ABV). Limited to 6,000 bottles worldwide.
- 25 Year Old – 1979; Distilled in 1979 and released in 2005. Cask strength (58.4 ABV). Limited to 6,000 bottles worldwide.
- 8 Year Old – 1997; Distilled in 1997. Released in 2006. Cask strength (59.8 ABV). 12,990 bottles available.
- 8 Year Old – 1998; Distilled in 1998. Released in 2007. Cask strength (64.9 ABV). 9,690 bottles.
- 8 Year Old – 2000; Distilled in 2000. Released in 2008. Cask strength (64.2 ABV). 5,664 bottles.
- 15 Year Old – Flora and Fauna
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Caol Ila |
| Region | Islay |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1846 |
| Water source | Loch nam Ban |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address |
Caol Ila Distillery |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.malts.com/en-gb/caol-ila |
| Community | Malts Club |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 12.5 tonnes | 1 (Stainless steel, lauter) |
| Washback | 58,000 litres | 10 (8 Oregon Pine, 2 Stainless Steel) |
| Wash still | 35,350 litres | 3 |
| Spirit Still | 29,550 litres | 3 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 6,500,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Caol Ila is Gaelic for the “Sound of Islay,” the narrow stretch of water separating the isle of Islay from the Isle of Jura.
Caol Ila was founded at the Sound of Islay in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who also owned the Glaswegian distillery Camlachie. It wasn’t very successful under his ownership and was sold in 1854.
Caol Ila has been owned by Diageo since 1986, when it became part of United Distillers Ltd. In 2022, a new visitor centre opened as part of Diageo’s “Four Corners of Scotland” project, alongside Cardhu, Clynelish and Glenkinchie, the four malt distilleries most closely tied to Johnnie Walker.
The distillery shut down in 1930 amid the economic crisis and American Prohibition, staying closed until 1937, then closed again from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. It closed once more between 1972 and 1974, when almost the entire site was demolished and rebuilt, keeping only its distinctive three-storied warehouses, while increasing its stills from 2 to 6.
Most of Caol Ila’s roughly 6.5 million litres of annual output is lightly peated spirit destined for blends, particularly Johnnie Walker, with occasional unpeated “Highland style” runs made periodically to give Diageo’s blenders flexibility.
The core range includes Moch (no age statement, lighter and less peated than the 12 Year Old), the 12 Year Old, Cask Strength (no age statement), 18 Year Old, and the 25 Year Old Distillers Edition, finished in Moscatel casks. Caol Ila has also released whisky as part of Diageo’s Flora and Fauna series.
Yes, Caol Ila has a visitor centre.