Port Askaig 14 Years Old (2018)

Port Askaig is the Elixer Distiller single malt whisky brand that highlights peated whisky from Islay. However, this particular release from earlier in the year, is from a distillery in the north-east corner of Islay, better known for its unpeated whisky. That’ll have to be Bunnahabhain then 🙂

Distilled in 2004 and bottled at a respectable 45.8 percent, this particular release is a vatting of 11 first-fill bourbon casks.

Port Askaig 14 Years Old (45.8%, Elixer Distillers, 2018)

Nose: Relatively subtle notes of smoke, accompanied by dried seaweed and cow dung. There’s some tinned pineapple juice, as well as licorice, banana and a whiff of ozone.
Taste: Ash-y, somewhat drying, and quite salty too. There’s plenty of smoke, a whiff of rubber, and licorice too, with a hint of milk chocolate and some caramel sweetness.
Finish: Lingering rubber and almost medicinal peat. Long.

Score: 86

Not bad, not great, but simply good peated whisky, that won’t blow you away, but’ll definitively satisfy your peat needs.

Thijs Klaverstijn

Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.