Caol Ila 12 Year Old - James MacArthurs Miniature

Founded in 1846, Caol Ila distillery was taken over by Diageo forerunner DCL in 1927. The distillery was completely rebuilt in 1972-74 and now produces over 6 million litres annually, much of which goes into Johnnie Walker. The widespread belief that Caol Ila is Islay’s most underrated distillery has become a truth so universally acknowledged that it may no longer be true, though it remains in the shadow of Bowmore and the south coast distilleries. 

Official Caol Ilas were bottled sporadically before Diageo relaunched it as a single malt brand in 2002. A famous yellow label 12-year-old and a rare 15-year-old occasionally appeared under DCL’s Bulloch & Lade subsidiary from the 1960s onwards, and there was a short-lived Flora & Fauna 15-year-old in the late 1980s and a magnificent sherried 15-year-old Manager’s Dram bottled in 1990. Independent Caol Ila is abundant and always great value.

James MacArthur & Co Ltd was an independent bottler of single malt and grain whiskies founded in 1982 by the Winning family. The company kept an exceptionally low profile but its James MacArthur’s Old Masters and James MacArthur’s Fine Malts ranges, while unprolific, were always outstanding drams. James MacArthur’s whiskies were released at cask strength or 45-46% and were always from traditional bourbon or sherry casks. 

James MacArthur’s simple, utilitarian labels were light on detail, often with just a distillery name and age statement rather than any distillation or bottling dates. The company’s most legendary whiskies are a pair of 12-year-old Port Ellens and half a dozen Caol Ilas bottled in the 1980s, all of which are of extraordinary quality and have subsequently fetched enormous prices at auction. Sadly, with the Winnings long past retirement age, James MacArthur & Co was dissolved early in 2022.