A mythical rarity, a Celtic Holy Grail for whisky lovers, Islay’s Caol Ila was long coveted by American aficionados as the ultimate trophy malt.

This was partly due to its scarcity – for many years it just wasn’t available in a distillery bottling – but also due to its utterly unique flavor profile: it has the lightness and finesse of an elegant lowland – and the same pale color – combined with the sort of peaty punch one expects from an Islay whisky.

As I say, pretty unusual. So when I hear that Diageo have now released as part of their Rare Edition series an unpeated­ Caol Ila my interest is more than a little piqued. What would a Coal Ila without peat taste like?

Well, it will certainly disappoint fans of those macho, punch-you-in-the-face malts that have peat heaped upon peat, but those of you with more evolved palates will be captivated.

It has an oily texture, and a pale straw color. Stripping out the peat allows more subtle, delicate hues to appear so there are now woody, aromatic elements that I had never detected before, along with a surprisingly sweet, creamy  palate and a huge, spice-tinged finish. It just shows what a magically complex and subtle whisky can be produced without a smidgen of peat.

This is most certainly a connoisseurs dram that will appeal to the sophisticated palate, but also one I would hate to encounter in a blind tasting, such a puzzler would it present.