Caol Ila Moch

Pronounced ‘cull-eela’, Caol Ila is based on the eastern coast of Islay, and its name derives from the Gaelic for ‘Sound of Islay’, which we think is rather lovely. In contrast to the southern distilleries on the island, Caol Ila’s water source is from Loch Nam Ban in the hills.

Moch is a peaty single malt named after the Gaelic word for ‘dawn’, and was the first release from Caol Ila without an age statement, instead being selected on the basis of its taste rather than age or cask types. Although Caol Ila peats its malt to the same level as many other well-known Islay distilleries, its unique distillation process means that the flavour of the peat is dialled down – it’s known for its softer smokiness, making it a good introduction to peated whiskies.