Port Askaig 19

Consensus seems to be that this one is a Caol Ila. I believe we know Port Askaig has been Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain, and I know I saw somewhere that they confirmed a third source distillery without disclosing which one, but that was well after this was released. It’s a pretty atypical age, being the first 19 year old I’ve reviewed, so I’m curious how it is and compares to regular Caol Ila and my well-faded memories of the 18.

Port Askaig 19, Islay Single Malt, 50.4% ABV

Minutia: Depressingly little information about the production other than it being a single malt from Islay, almost certainly distilled by Caol Ila and aged for 19 years. I’ve not found anything about casks type or vintage. Probably ex-Bourbon if I had to guess. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amber, 0.7.

Nose: Salty, mineraly fruit, more woody than smoky.

Taste: Surprisingly mild, light, a bit sweet, some spice.

Finish: Smoke comes in, pretty big but nothing like a peaty beater. More spice, salty ash.

This gets better from nose to taste to finish. The biggest difference is after the nose, it’s a bit decent but ok in the nose, then while the taste is light it is quite nice. The finish is a nice surprise where the smokiness expected of an Islay finally comes in. A solid dram.

Score: 87