What's In A Name: Port Askaig 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The music business is littered with acts which have changed their name at some stage, to avoid confusion with other, likeminded creatives. Be it a simple hyphen added (in the case of UK indie band Long-View), a location specific addendum (in the case of The London Suede) or a total surname change (take a stand Cheryl Cole), the act you see on stage on hear on record will be the same talented* artist as they were before.

Because as consumers, we’re easily confused. Or so the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) would have you believe. Recently they changed their labelling regulations to make sure that each and every bottle of whisky you buy is clearly identifiable as to where it was made. Sort of.

For years now, bottlers have been buying single malts (or blending whiskies) and selling them under names akin to mythical distilleries; the sort of bottle you’d see on the shelf of your local supermarket maybe, with a watercolour of an anonymous country estate in the background.

It was deemed by the SWA that this could be confusing to consumers who might think they’re getting a single malt from an actual, real life distillery (which they are, if it says ‘single malt’ on the label) but when trying to visit Glen Narnia, might find that the place name on the label of their favourite bottle doesn’t really exist.

Anyway, one of the excellent independent bottles who chose to adjust its name to come in to line with the recent change in regulations, is Port Askaig (or Port Askaig Harbour as it became known). Thankfully back to its original moniker, the name was chosen to mirror a rough estimation of where the liquid in these releases apparently comes from (I’ll save you looking it up: Caol Ila), taking it's name after Islay's lesser known, much more northerly, port. However, with a cryptic, non-distillery specific name, it by no means ties this bottler down to only using liquid from that one distillery.

Proudly Islay-poduced, Port Askaig has a short but excellent history of previous releases (I’m still rueing not picking up a bottle of the very first batch of 17 years old which they release: pure nectar). In fact, I recently purchased a bottle of their now-gone 25 year old as a gift for a friend, such is my faith in the product.

Thus my excitement was tickled when, late last year a 12 year old version was added to the ranks at the decidedly perfect strength of 45.8%. Now where have we seen that ABV before...?

Port Askaig Harbour – 12 Years Old – Islay Single Malt – 45.8% abv – 70cl - £43.95 here

Nose: Vanilla and peat smoke give a bracing, coastal quality to this warming yet invigorating aroma. Elements of coal dust and dried seaweed give way to wet soil and heavy petrichor notes.

Palate: A good balance of salty sea spray, peat smoke and milk chocolate. This sits well and with a drop of water opens up the lighter vanilla and citrus tones to become a very easy drinking Islay malt (not in a low PPM way- this still packs a punch).

Finish: Chamois leather, grapefruit pith and peat smoke.

Overall: A very drinkable Islay malt. As other peaty whiskies move towards no age statements at this price point, if you want something that does carry an age and also packs a peaty punch, this could be for you. Much more Radiohead than On A Friday.

*hummm... debatable.

Two Distinctly Different Drams - in Uncertain Times.

What stranges time we live in. It is almost impossible to hide from the fact that here in England, we are sliding towards all-out war on the streets of our major cities. As London recovers from the rash of mindless, opportunist, idiot rioters, you have to question just what drives the younger elements to commit such crimes. Boredom? A sheep-like mentality? Perhaps a reaction to the endless advertising of things that people just can't afford, a counterpoint to the fact that we are in real danger of creating a society of children who value material things above everything else.

But despite the madness of the last couple of days, we turn our attention once again to what drives us- great whisky. To unwind with a great new dram, knowing your family is safe, feels like a hell of a good thing.

A few days ago, a couple of new drams from Speciality Drinks came through the letterbox. Well, actually they were so well packaged, the postman had to knock on the door...

Can you spot the drams?

Anyway, after recovering one, which accidentally fell into the kitchen bin, I quickly realised that this brace of drams was a bit special. A 19 year old Rosebank from 1991 and a favourite of ours from old, just a little bit wiser - Speciality Drinks' Port Askaig also at 19 years old.

The door is locked, Mrs Caskstrength is on the sofa and the rattle of the catflap, signifies that my faithful companion, Bobby is back, satisfied with his evening patrol.

Speciality Drinks - Rosebank - 1991 - 19 years old - 46%

Nose: Freshly cut wet grass, lemon balm, sherbet lemons, some slightly spirity menthol and a waft of some floral perfume/powderpuff notes.

Palate: Stewed apple and melted butter, some light sweet vanilla notes and a drying oakiness.

Finish: A lingering perfumed note vies for your attention whilst the vanilla notes get creamier.

Overall: Nice, light and summery. A welcome lift for a London night, mired in doom and gloom. Perhaps not as vibrant as some of the younger expressions, but very enjoyable.

And now for something completely different. Port Askaig is an undisclosed Islay distillery, although we have long since suspected it to be a Caol Ila. The previously released 17yo backdropped a superb Feis Ile a couple of years ago for us and whilst I was over in Islay recently, I thought it would be good to relive this excellent dram at the newly-owned Duffie's bar in Bowmore.

Stocks of the 17yo have pretty much gone now and I have high hopes from this, which is 2 years older and perhaps wiser. Whilst the backdrop of Penge is very different from Islay, Will this new release transport me back to such a magical and tranquil place.

Awaiting final image... so here's the 17 again...

Speciality Drinks - Port Askaig - 19 years old - 45.8%

Nose: Gentle, restrained peat, some medicinal carbolic notes, vanilla cream, banana milkshake and malty oakcakes covered in melted toffee. Not a million miles from Caol Ila Moch.

Palate: Classic Askaig grit on the palate, backed with digestive biscuits, milky sweetened coffee, sweet peat, more of the banana milkshake and some medicinal, notes. Lovely and oh, so drinkable.

Finish: Sweet cereals and sweet peat.

Overall: Well, it's adios to the 17 year old and whilst it's a shame to see it discontinued, this is a more than welcome substitute.

No doubt, you'll probably get a chance to try this cracker and others at the Whisky Show, which this year showcases its flavoursome wares from Vinopolis on the 7th & 8th October. The masterclasses, including an epic flight of sherried Manager's Dram whiskies, led by the irrepressible Colin Dunn look like winners to us, to if you want tickets of more information, visit: www.whisky-show.com

Sleep well, England. And keep up your spirits.

Gettin' Dawn and Dirty...

Last night, the the South London Whisky Bloggers United Front (SLWBUF) met at a quiet location to discuss the future of all things whisky. Well, rather than a summit meeting, it was Joel and I sat around the Caskstrength dining room table with our top mate and top blogger Tim Forbes. We decided to forego any heavy talk and do what we love best, simply pouring a few excellent drams and chatting about the time we (and our much-missed American pal Darrell) sat on a deserted beach near The Machrie Golf Course on Islay, watching the sunset and finishing a whole bottle of Port Askaig 17yo between us in a little under an hour.

I suppose this is probably deemed as a 'session' in many camps. Tonight we certainly had the tools at our disposal, but alas, no sunset. So we stuck on a DVD someone had made about Islay whiskies (quite nicely shot, but pretty, shall we say... 'in depth' )

It got me thinking back to how that Port Askaig 17yo was probably the easiest drinking whisky I've ever tried. Every sip made you want another. Not in an obsessive, nutcase P***head way, but simply because it was so enjoyable and - sociable. Of course, having your 2 mates with you in some beautiful surroundings adds to the enjoyment, but everything just clicked.

Tonight we discovered 2011's version of that session whisky. It is called Moch (meaning 'Dawn') and you are going to absolutely love it.

Make no mistake, we like Caol Ila a lot. We've reviewed plenty on here. But for me, Lagavulin has always pipped it to the post in terms of what I like to get from a peated whisky. The Caol Ila Unpeated releases have always impressed too, but I kind of felt there was room for something in the middle ground between the 2. Moch has just filled that gap.

Caol Ila Moch occupies a rather apt place between the dark, brooding and powerful coal dust Caol Ilas, such as the 12yo and 18yo and the light, bright and very much awake Special Release Unpeated bottlings. The peating levels are fairly low from what I can tell and the whiskies which have gone into this are fairly young. But before you start to rant about the never ending tide of new NAS whiskies... wait and try this. It works an absolute treat.

Caol Ila - Moch - NAS - 43% - 70cl

Nose: First whiff and i'm right back on that beach, with my mates, sunset slowly emerging. It has the exact same foam banana sweets note that the Askaig has. Give it a swirl and orange and lemon fruit jellies start to appear, the merest hint of coal dust, some floral perfume (honeysuckle) and butterscotch covered popcorn. An absolute delight.

Palate: Slightly gritty at first, then straight into toffee mint humbugs, fruit sherbet and a wave of really delicate soft peat, which acts as a blanket on the tongue, as the fruity zestiness dances all over it. The next sip does the same, then the next and the next. It's consistent and totally moreish.

Finish: The peat subsides and leaves a lingering ashy note, but the only thing you can think about is having a drop more.

Overall: Let me make this clear. This is a perfect whisky for sitting round with your pals, getting a takeaway, listening to the new Arcade Fire record or, if you're anything like us, just remembering a few enjoyable, slightly misspent times on an island which has left an indelible mark on all of us. Grab, open, pour, enjoy, re-pour, enjoy some more. Easy.

Many thanks to Tim for bringing this round for us to try- you can read his tasting notes here:

Nearly a ton of whisky and several frantically flung flying fish.

Now, there's an abstract title for a whisky post.  But as mad as it may seem, all in a days work for caskstrength. Friday saw us sampling a mammoth 98 whiskies in the space of a few hours, which if swallowed, would surely require some kind of superhuman liver... or no liver at all.  (sadly, we only fully consumed a few, but they were all crackers, as you will see below.  

Only a few hours later and your humble writer was fending off well targeted fish, flung from the hand of a small boy.  No, it wasn't feeding time at my young nephew's, but a very bizarre scene in a film I've been luckily enough to get my mug in, involving a staged food fight.  As they whistled past my head, I imagined going to the doctors with a fish-related black eye... 

Anyway, Back to those whiskies.  The name Port Askaig will excite many of you - its precise location lies to the north east of Islay where, a certain distillery, surrounded in spectacular scenery, lies in wait.  It is now the name of a new range of single malts, exclusively bottled by Speciality Drinks, the contents of which come from the mightly Caol Ila distillery- and we were itching to get stuck in!! here's our findings. We'll be reviewing the 'cask strength' edition in a later post...

Port Askaig - single malt- aged 17 years - 45.8% - 70cl

Nose: Lovely fresh and floral notes are the first thing your nostrils will notice- perhaps even some lilies and a hint of grapefruit?  Further in, and some lovely waxy comb honey rears up, mixed with some of the sweetest, softest peat i've come across in a while.  This has an aroma which belies its age masterfully.  

Palate:  The classic coal/oil mix of Caol Ila breaks through and then you're into creamy fudge, fizzy sherbet, followed by a sharp, salty, coastal note.  It shares some similarity with Ardbeg's Airgh Nam Beist, albeit with less of those sweeter, richer notes and silky mouth feel, but a satisfying licorice note and more fresh lemon really gives this a really classy edge.  

Finish:  Some excellent length with the oily notes slowly fading away over time.

Overall: A superb example of one of my new favourite Islay malts.  

we also got to sample the 17 yo's older brother, which at 25 years old is certainly the oldest Caol Ila ! have tried!

Port Askaig - single malt- aged 25 years - 45.8% - 70cl

Nose: Rich and textured with lots of summer fruits, seasoned oak, red wine and again, that soft older peat.  Very expressive for an older beast...

Palate: Some firey licorice, woody spices, a faint hint of cereal and another squirt of that soft, flavoursome peat.  It still retains that coal/oil feel of the 17, but it is much less pronounced. A little sweetness decends on the palate, in the shape of swizzle sticks (remember them, you older folks??!) dipped in honey.  

Finish: The sweetness dies away and leads into the drier, woody notes that your would expect from an older whisky, the coal like notes returning long into the finish. 

Overall: Another highly regarded dram which certainly raises the bar for all other Independent bottling's of Caol Ila.  The 17 yo just pips it to the post for me, in terms of overall excitement but, make no mistake, these are some serious whiskies that any Caol Ila fan should take a look at.