Port Askaig 33 Single Cask [Road to #1000, Review #989]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been lucky enough to taste a bunch of the Port Askaig range; 15, 16, 19, 28, 30 & 45. Most of which have been Caol Ila or Bunnahabhain.

The Importer of Port Askaig to the USA is ImpEx Beverages and this sample is another one I have to thank them for, specifically Jared Card. Thanks buddy!

There was also a 25yo from a batch of casks, which I was lucky enough to taste but didn’t make notes. I thought that one was a Laphroaig.

This on the other hand is a single cask, presented in one of those big sturdy wooden boxes that we love to pay for…

Port Askaig 33 Single Cask 50.3%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Interesting, complex nose with a lot of different facets. Soft salty smoke, soft fruit and oils, white pepper, white florals, faint smoked meat, interesting moss and a minty note-spearmint. More leathery as it opens up.

Taste: Soft and complex, great arrival, great mouthfeel on silky oils, smoke then salty with lemon juice, white pepper, white florals, white peach then darker into the finish.

Finish: Long length. Delicious. More overtly peaty with malt and some leather, a bit minty at the end. A little dry here.

American exclusive single cask. This is an expensive whisky (doesn’t come into my scoring but it’s worth mentioning) and although it is interesting and complex, there has also been something lost. Don’t get me wrong, this is great whisky but I think I was expecting more from it.

84/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #827

Whisky Network Review #989

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery XOP 1986 [Road to #1000, Review #977]

Hi everyone,

Here we have something of a mystery… ‘Probably Speyside’s Finest Distillery’ is a bottling that the Laings have been doing for a while, having various different versions and barrels that they have bottled.

I like the addition of ‘Probably.’ It makes the whole thing sound quite playful.

Anyway, if we look at distilleries that this could be from we have Glenfarclas or Macallan, both of which won’t want their brand names used. From these, I think its probably Glenfarclas but who knows…

If you buy barrels, you might realise that Glenfarclas barrels seem to float around quite a bit but most of them are Bourbon or Hogsheads. But you aren’t allowed to use the name so people use names like Blairfindy or just classify it by the region but make it sound fancy. Cadenhead’s are the only ones who are allowed to use the Glenfarclas name but are only allowed to release two barrels a year.

I tried this a first time, the again the next day so have a set of both notes:

Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery XOP 1986 46.4%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Woody and grassy, a little closed, malty, maybe a tad flat, cocoa powder.

Retry: Much better, fresher, more sherry and raisin, more grassy too, dried grass.

Taste: Soft arrival, woody, flat oak then chocolate and malt, some nice orange then grippy tannins.

Retry: Soft and sweet arrival, raisin, orange and sherry, then drier with oak and dried grass then more sweetness again, orange and red apple.

Finish: Long length. Great finish, lots of orange and red apple.

Retry: Long length. Fairly plain here now, oak, some ginger.

From a Butt, released in 2017 at 30yo. Tried the first day and thought I hadn't given it a fair chance. Probably Glenfarclas and not exactly the best cask of the stuff. The second day was an improvement but there's still a lot of fairly plain oak and dryness that is dragging it down.

72/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #820

Whisky Network Review #977

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Orkney 2000 The Whisky Agency for Toronto Whisky Society Review

Hi everyone,

Another one from that crazy night with the Toronto Whisky Society people. And, excitingly, another one that they selected themselves!

I tried the Tobermory that they had done first blind and really enjoyed it, so was intruiged by this whisky distilled on Orkney that definitely isn’t Scapa (yeah, its Highland Park, duh). 

Orkney 2000 The Whisky Agency 52.9%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Very natural and mineral, lightly smoked porridge, a great little funky note. Its a little closed and austere but it opens up over time and with a little warming, reminds me of a Benromach from a Bourbon barrel or Springbank Local Barley.

Taste: Soft arrival, beautiful balance of light lemon, minerality and light smoke. Quite austere again but great. Nice spices and good level of dry oak, white pepper.

Finish: Long length. The white pepper and dry oak really stick around and build with some great minerality.

Bottled for Toronto Whisky Society at 17yo in 2018. Another really good pick guys. Quite smoky for HP I thought, while still being clean and well balanced.

83/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #816

Whisky Network Review #972

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Cask Islay (A.D. Rattray) Review

Hi everyone,

Random review I’d skipped over today.

Another one of those mystery Islay’s that many people do. This particular version comes to us from A.D. Rattray and I found it in Majestic here in the UK.

Cask Islay 46%

Colour: E150a

Body: Full

Nose: Oily, earthy and citrusy. Very Lagavulin. Lime, lemon, burnt caramel, peat fires.

Taste: Very oily and citrusy. Lemon, lime, burnt caramel and toffee, strong peat smoke, sappy oak. Burning hay and malt.

Finish: Medium length. Sappy oak and peat smoke.

When I first tried this I thought it was definitely Lagavulin. Quite young but great at 46%, better than the 16yo I thought!

Now heard last year that it is in fact Caol Ila these days, and probably was then too.

74/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #803

Whisky Network Review #957

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Stronachie 10 Review

Hi everyone,

A mystery malt today I tried a good while back. Here in the UK I believe that Majestic (the wine shop) have this as an exclusive so its not super available but not too expensive.

Stronachie 10 43%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Light/Medium

Nose: Sweet, apple, malt, vanilla, spice. Classic fresh Bourbon matured Speyside, if a little boring for it.

Taste: Again, classic 1st Fill Bourbon matured Speyside. Vanilla, spice, baked apple, some citrus, a little burnt pastry, spice, nutty. Good mouthfeel for 43%.

Finish: Medium length. Nutty oak, some bitter oak char.

Benrinnes reputably. Pretty decent actually, although I probably wouldn’t peg it as a Benrinnes blind.

68/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #788

Whisky Network Review #937

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Ben Nevis 8 Single Cask Nation & 19yo Highland Malt Chapter 7 Reviews

Hi everyone,

Got some Ben Nevis for y’all today.

I’ve heard rumours that the land lease is up on the land that Ben Nevis is built on, so maybe they’ll have to find somewhere else to get all those Japanese blended whiskies, eh? (So, apparently this rumour is bogus and the lease has another 30 years on it, which they are in negotiations at the moment)

Anyway, the stuff is normally very good, particularly from Sherry casks and I’ve got two of ‘em.

Ben Nevis 8 Single Cask Nation 64.8%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: A meaty and thick style with a lot of power and some abv at first nosing, marzipan, almond, prune and walnut, malt and orange, a dusting of cinnamon.

Water: Better, more malt and ethereal fruit.

Taste: Thick and oily, really dense and well beyond its years, blackcurrant and prune, date, some fairly plain oak coming in towards the end.

Water: Loads softer, more malt, orange, heather but does still have that plain oak.

Finish: Long length. Quite dominated by this flat plain oak note, a little floral.

2009 from a Sherry cask. Really great arrival at full strength, love the power. The finish drags it back through.

76/100

 

Chapter 7 Undisclosed Highland 19 55.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Quite dense and oily, heavy malt, orange, chocolate, heather, there's a fresh mango lifting it up too, some vanilla.

Taste: Oily mouthfeel, nice orange, chocolate, malt and heather, some leather, green grape and soft lemon, more sour into the finish.

Finish: Long length. Lovely chocolate orange, some grape and lemon.

Two Sherry casks of Ben Nevis. A nice one but not overly impressive, especially for Ben Nevis.

75/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #774-#775

Whisky Network reviews #919-#920

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Secret Distillery #1 28yo TBWC Review

Hi everyone,

sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Always good to see whisky that definitely isn’t Glenfarclas being released by the indies that wouldn’t be allowed to call it Glenfarlcas even if this was Glenfarclas, which, to be clear, it definitely is not…

 

Secret Distillery #1 28 TBWC 50%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Complex orange, Seville, peel and perfumed. Complex spices and great oak, antique leather and old furniture and furniture polish. Develops delicious strawberry and liquorice and black pepper combo. Over time there's more dried cherry and dark chocolate.

Taste: Sweet and rich, orange and chocolate and lots of dry oak, Old Balvenie territory, leather and antique furniture and polish for said furniture. Perfect really. Cherry dark chocolate. Quite dry. Gorgeous development.

Finish: Long length. Emotional, sweeter here, epic, maple syrup, so bloody good.

Clap clap clap clap

One of those definite buys for me, but sadly the budget did not allow. About £150 for the 50cl bottle. Its all gone now anyway. Not often I find something this good from new releases that aren’t extortionately priced. Now, if the distillery name was the on the bottle maybe it would have been more expensive.

90/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #696

Whisky Network Review #832

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Port Askaig 45 Review

Hi everyone,

I am a very fortunate human being.

I have tasted quite a few whiskies. Quite a few of those quite a few being from Islay. The oldest of those being a 33 year old Port Ellen.

Never have I tasted anything close to this old from Islay. And am never likely to again. Where has it come from though? 45 years this has sat in a few casks and there aren’t many distilleries with those kinds of stocks left. Especially that they would be selling to Speciality Drinks as part of their Port Askaig range, instead of plonking it in a fancy decanter and getting a few grand a bottle.

The answer comes from the other distillery near Port Askaig. The one that doesn’t produce peated whisky. Ah, I don’t think its too much of a secret. Its Bunnahabhain.

 

Port Askaig 45 40.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Another world. Crazy complex. Musty, grape, black liquorice, orange, slightly tropical, mango, orange peel, dusty warehouse, leather, tobacco, earthy, complex nuttiness, not so much oak actually, more secondary flavours, candied lime and lemon peel, nutmeg, chocolate, slightly singed heather.

Taste: Soft, lacking power, oak, lots of it, orange, nut, heather then darker chocolate, leather, earthy with complex spices behind. Keeps developing and going on and on. Nutmeg, quite a dry experience, 90% dark chocolate, some ginger, a little splintered dry oak, cigar box, orange marmalade and tobacco.

Finish: Medium length. Complex is the name of the game here too, waves of leathery, earthy, mustiness, cocoa powder. But again, lacking power.

1968 Bunnahabhain from 5 Sherry butts that were married together for the last year. Mega complex whisky. But oh, what would this have been like at 38?! It’s just been left a little too long in those barrels. Lost a bit too much of the strength. What an experience to get to try this though. And despite the weakness, there is so much here to discover. Great, great old whisky.

87/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #538

Whisky Network Review #633

Network Average: 74.5

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?