“Graceful, complex and just a superb balance of sharpness and vanilla roundness. I know Port Ellen has been hyped, but these Caol Ilas are on the same level and if you think about it, more reasonably priced. One hell of a dram.”
93 points – whiskynotes.be
Port Askaig 34 Years Old is a Scottish single malt whiskey from a “secret” distillery on the island of Islay – Mecca for lovers of smoke and peat! This sublime bottling is one of the few in the series bottled as a single cask. Just 180 bottles have been created after the 34 years on an American Oak Bourbon Hogshead, and they keep a natural cask strength of 49.7% alcohol. The whiskey is neither colored nor cold-filtered.
Colour: Golden.
Aroma: Lively and surprisingly youthful in the scent of lemon peel, grass, ash, butter crackers and honey.
Tasting notes: Tobacco, herbs, honey and elegant smoke.
Serving suggestion: Should be enjoyed neat.
Port Askaig is a series of whiskeys from Elixir Distillers. The brand is named after the town of the same name, which is located on the east coast of Islay and for hundreds of years has been known as the “gateway to Islay”. Many smugglers and whiskey fans have sailed from here and there over the years, and the name has almost become synonymous with smoke and seaweed and tar. Close to the town are also the Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain distilleries, which are rumored to play the main roles in several of the bottlings.
From Port Askaig, the coastline of the nearby Isle of Jura can be seen on a clear day, and it is this coastline that is the motif on the label of the Port Askaig bottlings.
The blender and bottling company Elixir Distillers was founded by the two brothers Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, who are also behind the shop The Whiskey Exchange. They use their extensive experience from virtually every nook and cranny of the spirit world to fuse traditional craftsmanship with an insatiable hunger to experiment and innovate. The main focus is definitely on Scotch whisky, but also Japanese, Irish and American whiskey as well as tequila and rum have found their way into Elixir Distillers’ beautifully designed bottles. Among the most notable brands we find Elements of Islay, Port Askaig, Single Malts of Scotland and Black Tot.
Originally the company was called Specialty Drinks, and the name only changed to Elixir Distillers in 2017 – but if the two brothers blend and bottle whiskey, where does the “Distiller” part come in? Well, in 2018 they announced plans to build a new distillery on Islay’s south coast. The future looks bright for fans of smoke and peat!
