Port Askaig is a small town in the north-west of Islay. Sukhinder Singh, chairman of The Whisky Exchange, now has its own range of single malt whisky under this name.

I’ve tried this one alongside the Caol Ila 12 year-old, because there’s a good chance both are made at the same distillery and share approximaterly the same age. Too bad I didn’t have the Coal Ila Cask Strength to compare.

Port Askaig ‘Cask Strength’
(57,1%, Whisky Exchange 2009)

Nose: smokey and phenolic, but at the same time rather sweet. Coals on syrup? Less notes of apple or diesel than the Caol Ila 12. Hints of bandages. A bit grassy, hints of wet stones. Some lemon. Mouth: at first, relatively shy considering the alcohol volume. There’s sweet barley with some honey. Then the peat arrives and the whole gets more intense and hotter. Finish: lingering on smoke. Sweet aftertaste. Hints of coffee (which I always like). Loses some points for getting a bit cardboardy in the very end.

Powerful and expressive. Around € 45.

Score: 82/100