This is the new Port Askaig 25 Year Old for North America. Composed from a small batch of casks from an undisclosed Islay distillery, it is different from the batch(es) we had in Europe until now.

Port Askaig 25 yo (45,8%, Elixir Distillers 2019, 3000 btl.)

Nose: very mineral start. Wet sand and gravel, graphite, lemon peel and a soft, medicinal, almost ‘green’ peatiness. Subtle coal smoke and menthol. Fresh lemons and brine. Hints of liquorice and heather. Along the way there’s a delicate pineapple sweetness. Mouth: sweet lemons, olive oil and medium peat. Hints of cough sweets...

Lagavulin 10 Year Old

Lagavulin 10 Years  is a new travel retail exclusive from Lagavulin distillery. It is composed with rejuvenated casks and ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 43% ABV.

The label now has some keywords to describe the taste: smooth, intense, smoky and warming . From what I’ve heard its profile would be closer to the 16 Years than to the 8 Years, I hope to try it soon.

New Single Malts of Scotland

Elixir Distillers announced a whole new list of releases in their Single Malts of Scotland range. Here is the whole list:

• Ardmore 20yo...

Scallywag is the Speyside component of Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts range.

This year we witnessed the addition of a Scallywag 12 year-old version, bottled at cask strength and entirely matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks (but clearly less so than the Scallyway 13 Years).

Scallywag typically includes some Mortlach, Glenrothes, Macallan… and I suppose this is no different in that respect.

Scallywag 12 yo (53,6%, Douglas Laing 2019, sherry matured)

Nose: nicely oily but fairly neutral, with hints of cereals and oranges. Some added notes of toffee and plums – that’s the sherry. Also spices...

The latest batch of Elements of Islay bottlings includes this Caol Ila Cl12 . It has been matured for 7 years in a pair of refill sherry butts before being bottled at cask strength.

Caol Ila Cl12 7 yo 2011 (57,5%, Elements of Islay 2019, two refill sherry butts, 50cl, 1901 btl.)

Nose: a fairly vegetal start. Buttery apples and pears, linseed oil, plenty of barley notes. A little porridge and mashed vegetables. Mild smoke and hints of iodine. Mouth: sweet peat with big smoky and a generous dose of salty notes. Hints of mezcal. In a second...

We’ve had lots of old Invergordon bottlings but this is the first Invergordon 1974 . It was bottled by a Taiwanese bottlers called The Whisky Blues . It comes from a refill sherry butt, which is not very common.

Invergordon 44 yo 1974 (46,5%, The Whisky Blues 2018, refill butt #29, 250 btl.)

Nose: a very balanced grain, with roasted pineapple, hints of creamy coconut but also milk chocolate, raisins and nutty notes from the sherry butt. Some honeyed notes and hints of butter pastry. Whiffs of passion fruit. No chemical notes that you sometimes find in grain...