Port Askaig 45 Year Old Islay

Tasting Notes

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: old school antique-y sherry notes, barrel aged maple syrup, treacle sauce and bags of tropical fruits; waxy with over-ripe bananas, mangoes and papaya and agave nectar; candy apple with soft old leather and tobacco; assorted Jelly Bellies and Starburst fruit candies.

Palate: still old-school; very rich, sherried and fruity but balanced and elegant; more maple syrup, cola cubes and treacle sauce; the Starburst fruit candies and assorted Jelly Bellies are still there as are the waxy over-ripe tropical fruits: mango and papaya, grilled pineapple, and flambeed banana;  dark milk chocolate, delicate spices and light roast coffee beans; cold tea dregs with Demerara sugars it becomes increasingly spicy, but still balanced. 

Finish: long and fruity, the whisky stays decadent and gently spiced as it slowly fades; coating with more cold tea dregs; a touch of minty mojitos too.

Comment: this is a beautiful old malt, very much in the antique-y style; old school and very fruity sherry without suffering any of the ravages of time; is there a faint trace of smoke, I'd need an even more generous serving to be sure!

Producer's Tasting Note

Nose: Rich, thick and fruity; tropical and orchard fruit intertwine, with apples and pears sat alongside unripe mango, star fruit and papaya. The gentle acidity of the fruit is balanced by sweet and sticky notes of honey and nectar.

Palate: Rich, navel-orange bittersweetness is joined by fleshy mangos and warming spice. With that is a contrasting herbal character, with green tea and mint leaves providing fresh and green notes.

Finish: Long, with fruit becoming herbal before settling on a fresh and cooling mint and menthol end.

Comment: Despite this whisky’s origins on Islay, its long ageing has allowed the smokiness of the spirit to fade and develop into something quite special. It’s run through with fruit and elegant herbal notes that demand attention: a rare dram that rewards careful examination.

91pts Whisky Fun

"Well, there was a 45 yo at the very same strength back in 2014, not too sure whether this is the same juice or not. Maybe it is. Colour: full gold. Nose: right, this is one of those magnificent old Bunnahabhains! How many of them have we tried straight from the casks back then, in the company of dear John MacLellan? All roasted nuts covered with eucalyptus essence and Vicks Vaporub at first, then rich plums, light limoncello, and certainly some passion fruits. Soft and complex, with also more and more fir honeydew. Impeccably fresh. Mouth: you feel the age a little more (mentholated molecules from the wood, possibly terpens, turpentine and stuff), but the freshness remains there, with some orange-flavoured praline, tangerine liqueur, heather honey, and assorted dried fruits although it would never quite get raisiny. Finish: unexpectedly long, with the same orange-y fruitiness and touches of cardamom and cinnamon. Crystalised angelica and more yellow chartreuse in the aftertaste, and rather less oak than in the ‘bottling of 2014’. Which, I agree, is a little strange. Comments: it is, indeed, a little chartreuse-y. If it is the same juice as that of 2014, it may have improved a little bit, as if it could breathe a little further. SGP:561 - 91 points."

Distillery

Originally written by Evan for a blog post relating to KWM's 2020 Whisky Calendar.

Bunnahabhain Distillery is the northernmost distillery on Islay – it lays off the beaten path and is somewhat remote even when compared to the rest of the island. The distillery was actually only reachable by boat until the 1960s, when a road was finally built to it. Bunnahabhain is one of a trio of Scottish Single Malt Distilleries owned by Burn Stewart (Distell Group).

Burn Stewart and its parent company also own Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull which we discussed on both on Day Four and Day Seventeen. and Deanston Distillery which resides on the Scottish mainland in Perthshire. Like its siblings, most of the flagship single malts Bunnahabhain range are bottled unchill-filtered and with no added colouring at the curious but commendable strength of 46.3% ABV.

Like many Scottish distilleries, Bunnahabhain is a Gaelic name. It translates to "the foot of the river".

This Islay distillery was founded in 1881 and started its life making the heavily peated whisky that the region is famous for. For most of its history its whisky was exclusively used in blends such as Black Bottle, and even today only a fraction of its production is bottled as a single malt. In 1963 production was increased and at the same time the distillery’s style was changed to the lighter, unpeated single malt whisky it is known for today. Since 1997 there have been small amounts of heavily peated (35 PPM malt spec) single malt made each year but it is not what the distillery is known for. 

The core of Bunnahabhain’s production and lineup doesn’t show very noticeable peat if it shows at all as they use a malt spec with a maximum phenolic level of 2 PPM. This makes it one of the more gently peated Islay single malts available. The distillery and its whisky are sometimes referred to as the ‘Gentle Giant of Islay’ What it lacks in smoke and peat it typically makes up for in nuanced and complex character and plenty of sherry cask influence, at least in official bottlings.