Review #434 - Port Askaig 18 Year Single Cask (2000)
While not explicitly stated, it's widely believed that these modern Port Askaig bottlings are mostly filled with Caol Ila distillate. These provide a peaty experience, and because it's independently bottled, we generally get better presentation than official bottlings - that's the case here, with a higher bottling strength, as well as a lack of chill filtration and added caramel coloring.
Here, we have a 2000 vintage USA-only single cask from the brand, which is generally known for small batch products. This cask was aged for 18 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, after which it was bottled at 50.8% ABV - likely not cask strength, considering the bottle count of 250, which would be a lot for a single barrel, especially at this age.
Port Askaig 18 Year Single Cask (2000)
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 250 (2024)
Age Statement: 18 Years
Strength: 50.8% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrel
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2000, bottled 2019; cask no. 309927; 250 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A rich nose - musty, complex, and mature. It's a darker complexion with the peat smoke and oak influence, but we also get a mix of fruit scents: apples, lemons, and also stone fruits. Oak grows a bit stronger with time.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; those fruits continue from the nose, especially lemon, which turns to hard lemon candies. Melon adds more sweetness and a tropical side, but then we get old, musty oak influence with the peat, which is moderate.
Finish: Leathery notes are added to the oak, which still has a musky, dank nature. Quite mature now, and orange is added to the lemon citrus; the peat smoke is more mild, and the whole finish mellows out.
Final Note: This is a solid example of 18 year old Islay whisky - a decent amount of oak, but it isn't overbearing, still allowing peat and fruity flavors their places in the profile. The musty character in the oak was especially nice, and overall, we think this fits nicely into the Caol Ila style - the flavors seemed to fit.
While a lot of Elixir Distiller's Port Askaig bottles can provide good value, often better than the 'named' distillery official bottlings, this single cask is actually quite expensive. Value isn't as good, then, but we're still interested to try more of their entry level bottles.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.76
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our Caol Ila reviews:
Review #407 - Adelphi Caol Ila 13 Year Single Cask
Review #399 - Caol Ila 17 Year 'Unpeated Style'
Review #392 - Caol Ila 12 Year
Review #260 - SMWS Distillery 53 Rare Release 'Floral Petrichor' - Caol Ila 14 Year
Review #200 - SMWS 53.363 'Delicious Earthy Smoke' - Caol Ila 10 Year
