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Firkin Islay: Caol Ila 2010 Whisky in Custom Marsala Cask


Sale price£74.95
In stock

Key Facts About This Single Malt Scotch

Bottler: The Firkin Whisky Company

Whisky Maker: Mike Collings

Distillery: Caol Ila

Age: 2010 Vintage

Region: Islay, Scotland

Spirit: Single cask, single malt scotch

Cask Type: Double wood, ex-marsala

Alcohol by Volume: 48.9%

Bottled: Natural colour and without chill filtration

Outturn: 325 Bottles

Bottle Size: 700ml

Awards: Gold medal, Whiskies Of The World Awards; Gold Medal, USA Spirits Ratings.

Firkin Islay Tasting Notes

Official tasting notes

Kapow! Smoke! Call the Fire Brigade! A waft of peat and smoke.

You only need to dig a bit for the malt and creamy oak which holds it together. This whisky has everything: big burning embers, smoky bonfire and a tad of mellowed sweetish oak. It's a peppery and lively spirit.

So chewy, so smoky, so Firkin Islay.

Ed's review

Colour: Natural, amber. Oily, coats my glass.

Nose: Paprika rubbed pork ribs on the bbq, with the rendered fat hitting the coals and turning into smoke. Malt loaf with homemade butter. A sweetness in the form of forest berry compote over natural Greek yoghurt.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel. Smokiness like burnt brisket ends - bold but not brash. Another touch of sweetness, this time like wild honey. That coastal minerality I often find in Coal Ila, briny pebbles on the beach. A visit to the spice cupboard - dried lemon, ginger, paprika, black pepper. Well-integrated alcohol (48.9%) adds body without any burn.

Finish: Medium to long. Honey, smoke and spice. Warm, and ready for another sip.

About Firkin Islay Caol Ila 2010 Whisky

This is the story of two islands, Islay and Sicily, and how they produced an award-winning whisky. 

Firkin Islay combines the peaty smokiness of Caol Ila 2010 with the Muscat grape sweetness of Marsala. The flavours fuse together in Firkin Whisky Co's custom double wood cask. Their unique process mellows and softens the peat. Firkin Islay is a new take on a classic Islay whisky.

Salty peat and smoke with a touch of sweetness. Firkin Islay Coal Ila won a gold medal in the Whiskies of the World awards in the peated whiskies category. But that doesn’t come as a massive surprise to us, as this is a superb single cask release from Firkin Whisky Company.

Read more about Firkin Islay in our blog here, and more about Firkin Whisky's approach here.

Firkin Islay Caol Isla Whisky in Marsala Cask
Firkin Islay: Caol Ila 2010 Whisky in Custom Marsala Cask Sale price£74.95
Minley Manor Whisky Tasting
Mike Collings Scotch industry veteran and the founder of the Firkin Whisky Co

Meet the Founder

Mike Collings

Mike Collings could have retired with an incredible track record in whisky. He had created Johnnie Walker Blue & Green Labels, The Classic Malts, Rare Malts, Distillers Edition, Flora & Fauna series, Cardhu and Royal Lochnagar. That’s pretty good as far as CVs go.

He’s been working in whisky for 40 years. You couldn’t blame him for packing it in and putting his feet up. That would have been the sensible thing to do. But Mike is many things. Sensible isn’t one of them. Mike stirs the pot. He thinks about things differently and always asks: ‘what if …’

So, he found himself enjoying a few drams in a Tokyo bar thinking: what if I created a whisky that was unique on the single cask single malt market.

So he did. And it's Firkin awesome whisky.