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Day 10 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar

Posted on December 10, 2025

by Evan

If you have been a passenger on the Calmac Ferry to Islay, you may have landed at Port Askaig. That is the name of one of two ports that the Calmac Ferries use on Islay. The other is at Port Ellen. Port Askaig resides on the east coast of the island, along the Sound of Islay. East of the town and about 1 KM across the Sound is the Isle of Jura. Distillery-wise, Caol Ila is closest to the Port Askaig, being only about a five-minute drive to the North. Also north of this ferry landing are the Ardnahoe and Bunnahabhain Distilleries; which are seven and twelve minutes away by car, respectively. While the Port has been used for hundreds of years as one of the main berths between Islay and Jura as well as the Scottish Mainland, the town itself only consists of a handful of houses, a hotel, a gas station, and a shop or two.

The Port Askaig Islay Single Malt label is owned by Elixir Distillers, and the name comes from the town and ferry landing. Elixir also owns a few other brands you may have heard of including The Elements Of Islay, The Single Malts Of Scotland, The Whisky Trail, and The Black Tot Rum brand. Over the past few years, Elixir has been quietly expanding and looking towards a bigger future. The Tormore Distillery in Speyside was purchased from Pernod Ricard (there is that name again!) in 2022, and there is an Islay distillery currently being built as well. The behind schedule but just about ready to open Portintruan Distillery resides on the island between Port Ellen and Laphroaig.

So, which Islay distillery is used as the source for bottlings of Port Askaig Single Malt? I don't know for certain because this is a mystery malt. A few different distilleries have been used in the past for different ages and iterations of the Port Askaig lineup, based on internet rumblings and what we have heard from Elixir. Nothing direct has been said which distillery made the single malt in 17 year old, but the most likely suspect is Caol Ila. It is the largest distillery on Islay by production, and it also seems to be the Islay distillery that sells the most casks. But if it isn’t Caol Ila, perhaps it is peated Bunnahabhain? Or Bowmore? Perhaps Ardbeg? Okay, I was mostly joking with those last two. But who knows?

By my count, this is the fourth bottling of Port Askaig we have featured in our advent whisky calendar tastings over the years. Most recently, the fantastic Port Askaig 28 Year Old was in our 2023 Uber Calendar. That guy is likely either Caol Ila or Laphroaig: My guess is Laphroaig, but I am wrong more often than I am right.  We had both the Port Askaig 110 Proof AND the Port Askaig 100 Proof in the 2022 and 2021 KWM Whisky Advent tastings prior to that. Hilariously, the Port Askaig 100 Proof was actually at a higher ABV than the 110 Proof. This was because the Port Askaig 110 Proof was referencing the US Proof, and was originally a USA Exclusive. The USA proofing system keeps things simple, where the proof is exactly two times the ABV percentage. So, 110 US proof meant 55% ABV. The Port Askaig 100 Proof was bottled at 100 British Proof, which translates to 57.1% ABV.

The proofing system in the two countries is based on two radically different concepts that do not entirely agree with each other. This is not surprising: Many American and British measurements were like this. An American teaspoon is different from a British teaspoon. Same with the US ounce vs the UK ounce. And the pint. Tons are different, too.

I am no historian, but I bet this failure to agree to one standard is what caused the American Revolutionary war.

Above: A dramatic interpretation of what happened during America's battle for independence. Rock, paper, scissors was used to settle all disputes from what I have heard. I believe American Revolutionary War buffs frequently reenact these battles and gloat all the time about paper beating rock.

Side note: Trying to describe Rock Paper Scissors to AI so it creates the picture in your head correctly is impossible.

Luckily, we have all smartly modernized and resolved this entire issue by universally adopting the metric system. Thank goodness that fixed everything, and we now have world peace.

Back to Port Askaig. The 17 Year old we will be tasting today is part of the recently revamped lineup for the brand. The 17 was launched in 2023, but only made it into Alberta this summer. Also available if not now – then soon – are the Port Askaig 15 Year Old and the Port Askaig Cask Strength.

Port Askaig 17 is matured in “traditional American Oak Casks”, and bottled at a respectable 50.5%. I won’t go into what proof that is, thank you. A total of 9000 bottles were… uhh… bottled… for this limited release.

Let’s give it a go!

Port Askaig 17 Year Old – 50.5%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Like you are cooking bacon in a cast iron skillet over a driftwood-fuelled campfire that you built between craggy rocks that are just up the beach enough to be sheltered from the tide. The nose is full of that smoke intermingled with salty coastal spray, along with lemon wedges squeezed on shellfish, dried seaweed flakes, crisp malt, and oh so much more.

Palate: Juicy and full of roasted malt and amber beer notes up front, then the tide of peat and brine comes rolling in, carrying sweet and succulent grilled prawns, pear juice, lemon meringue pie, and chamomile tea with a dash of honey.

Finish: Surprisingly clean and refreshing for a peaty dram. The smoke is there along with the coastal brine and orchard fruit notes, but it is all surprisingly gentle and welcoming.

Comment: Time for another sip? What a dram – full of fervour on the nose yet poised on the palate. An incredibly well put together Islay malt.

Cheers,

Evan

evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, Tastings - Online Tasting, KWM 2025 Still Not An Advent Calendar Tastings

 

 

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