The Caol Ila distillery is located on the Isle of Islay, Scotland. It is the largest Single Malt distillery on the island, in terms of capacity. The distillery was founded in 1846 near Port Askaig and is now part of the Diageo portfolio. Much of his production goes to various blends, including Johnnie Walker. Demand for volume led to the demolition of the old distillery in 1974 in favour of a new, larger site. From 2010, production almost doubled, from 3.5 million to 6.5 million litres per year. Caol Ila Single Malts were only available through independent bottlers until 2002, when Caol Ila 12-Year-Old was released. The barley used is malted at Port Ellen, the stills are much larger than those in other Islay distilleries and are only half-filled to allow more contact between the alcohol vapour and the copper, that is why the expressions of Caol Ila are much less peaty than other Islay Malts, with a subtle smoky character. Some unpeated versions are also produced occasionally.