Steve Oliver questions whether Caol Ila is peaty. My understanding is that it gets its malt from the Port Ellen maltings, as do most (all?) of the other Islay malts. Since I've got a dram sitting, here, I'll add some impromptu tasting notes: Bottling: 13-yo single cask, cask-strength (1984) Appearance: very light (fino?) Aroma: (straight-56%): tarry, with a floral undertone; engaging (dilute 2:1): Tar diminishes with a rose-like note coming to the front; mild complexity with some smoke & fruit. Taste: sweet, tarry, sharp & hot. Finish is sweet tar, with warming all the way down. Development: the aroma sweetens and opens as it sits, with some vanilla coming up as the tar recedes. Overall: a good dram, probably not one of my favorites. Very definitely an Islay. I'm assuming the tarry-smoky aroma & flavor had to come from the peat.