Port Askaig 8 Year

Nose: Salt, seaweed, a light touch of peat smoke, citrus fruit zest, apple juice, herbal notes (rosemary, bay leaf, faint juniper) and a soupçon of vanilla extract. There is a hint of rubber when it is neat but the addition of a little water removes this completely. Reduction also brings out excellent cereal and malt aromas. Palate: Salty and sweet in the arrival, then it turns even sweeter as it develops with floral honey coming to the front. Herbal flavours emerge in the development with meadow flowers and lively young peat smoke. The texture is pleasantly full and silken. Adding water does not diminish the palate at all but does bring out some spicy and oak-wood flavours. Finish: Medium. Salty-sweet fruits fading to brackish water. Reduction sweetens the aftertaste. The nose is very well balanced with just enough maritime peat smoke present to confirm that this is an Islay whisky (well, that was no secret anyway) and there are very pleasant fruity and herbal aromas which round out the experience. This is a fine nose either neat or with water. The palate very much carries on in the same manner and provides an agreeable fulfillment to the promise of the nose. The foundation is sweet and light with fruity top-notes of saline and smoke. This all trails into a satisfyingly salty finish that is both sweet and dry. It's a fraction less extended than I would like, but I'm nitpicking. The colour is very pale straw and testament to the use of refill casks and no added colour. This is what I like Scottish whisky to look like. The proof is sensible and carries the flavour well, and it is not chill-filtered. At the price there is very little more you could ask from a young Islay whisky. Elixir Distillers have built their reputation on the Port Askaig range of whiskies, but they are currently finishing construction of their Portintruan Distillery on Islay, just outside of Port Ellen (see picture). Going forward, I wonder if we will see the Port Askaig line dropped as their own distillery’s spirit becomes available, or if they will still source from (almost certainly) Caol Ila? Highly recommended, particularly as an alternative to Ardbeg 10, Laphroiag 10 or Caol Ila 12. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

I don’t often make mention of the eye of a whisky, but I feel I have to say this one is exceptionally light, like a moscato, and obviously contains no added coloring. A lively nose, even spiky and a little funky. Clean vegetal peat, wet hay, cool smoke, vanilla, mineral oil, pungent white flowers, blonde wood, a hint of lemon and plenty of alcohol. Sharper on the tongue, in fact it starts out downright prickly. Once the hot pepper subsides, sweet apple, buttery vanilla fudge, peat and wet slate emerge. The body is on the thin side, but the mouthfeel is satisfactory. In the glass, this whisky runs rather quickly, leaving a broken skirt with holes in its wake. However, it gets its act together just above the liquid’s surface forming a nice uniform ring of heavy droplets. The finish is short, semidry and slightly bitter. There’s plenty of soot, seaweed, a little walnut, more slate, and the slightest lingering sweetness akin to golden syrup. Nose: 8 Taste: 8 Body: 7 Finish: 8

I'm a fan of peat, so anything Islay I'll try happily. Upon opening, the peat dominates the olfactory. The sweetness slowly follows with a sweet cake, a weird metallic smell like rain falling on metal and a dash of lemon scented household cleaner. Sounds weird but stay with me. The taste is surprisingly sweet, but then you get a briny taste of the ocean. A touch of black licorice, light smoke and blazing finish. If this was a 12 year I would be happy to buy. Weirdly enough they only sell an 8 year or 17 year. Don't understand the gap.

Flaviar advent calendar day #15 Nose: peat, mild lemon zest, smoke, touch of salt air. Has an almost floral element. As you acclimate, a creamy buttery vanilla and fresh mowed grass appears Palate: bright, sweet, lively. There's a creamy vanilla, bright lemon zest, like caramel. A solid chewy and sweet malt throughout that is relatively light on the palate. Peat and smoke elements are here gently wrapping the above together. There's a touch of lemongrass as well. Finish: charcoal, smoked ham, salt air, mellow oak tannin.

CREAMY MEATY CAMPFIRE, BUTTER, PEP FLORAL FRUIT 3.25 FAIR FLATNESS, SMOKINESS IS LIGHT AND COMFORTABLE, LACK IN COMPLEXITY, HEAT 1.5 SMOKE OAKY BITTERBESS 1,5 2 very light color meaty, malty barley, peach, fruits, slight sugar, no caramel sugar detected, slight pep 3 delicate, bitterness wood, flat and lacking in taste, but you get a little peat and smokey which is quite a light and nice smoke if you just awnt to have something light on this day, idoine 2 light woody 2

On the nose, there’s a strong iodine peat, mellowed after a few seconds as some lemon and vanilla notes waft up to join. On the palate, barley sugar with a good peppery boost toward the end. You get a strong sense of Caol Ila as the malt in question based on the palate and nose alone. The green peppercorn finish with the sugary sweet entry makes this a fine dram for the cost. And the peat stays with it to the end with a decent length to the finish.