#01-2023 | 59.4% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Use it to reach past the Loch of sherry malts this Christmas*

It’s apparent we’re not drinking enough

Dangerous start, but indulge me.

Take a quick look at wherever you keep your bottles, ask yourself; do you have

a) not enough
b) just enough
c) more than enough, or
d) enough to kill you?

If you’re reading Dramface, there’s a good chance that whisky is something that interests you in a way where some may consider you to be far more invested than what is deemed ‘normal’. You find it enjoyable to take actions such as reading, watching or listening about whisky or to otherwise spend valuable time learning about it. Certainly, it’s very enjoyable to buy it. Perhaps you’d call that a hobby.

Thank you for being here as part of the fun, but hopefully you know at Dramface, you’re in good company. You’re reading a site that’s written by fellow enthusiasts for enthusiasts and we find whisky interesting enough to learn about it too, so much so we like to share what we’re discovering. Some of us are, honestly, even a little obsessed. By ‘some of us’, I of course mean me.

I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about whisky, and I spend an inordinate amount of money buying it. I buy enough, more than enough. And…. okay there’s enough in the den here to kill me a few times over.

Is that too much? Possibly. But I can banish the guilt with a shoulder shrug and a dismissive hand gesture as I declare it a passion. That is to say, I buy it for much more than simply drinking it.

Of course, I buy it to share, but even when the only face to fill is my own, I buy it to study, to analyse, to compare, to judge, critique and rationalise. I buy it to marvel at. All of this and more. I buy it because I am truly, utterly and hopelessly fascinated. Inevitably, this leads to an over-accumulation of bottles. You could take one look at this forest of glass and amber around me here and declare, yes, it’s too much. If there is a Glass Loch - and I believe there most certainly is - I personally own a bottled contributory pond.

It is without doubt that I buy more than I need. But only through the lens of those who only drink it. Because, if I’m truly stimulated by everything I’ve listed above, then you may argue - and I often do - that actually I don’t yet have enough.

The pursuit of chasing all whisky and all its flavour is endless. Making assumptions on why you’re choosing to read Dramface, you already know all about these motivations and consequences and, even if your bottle selection is modest, you may also admit you have more than you need. But that’s okay, because if it isn’t bottles of whisky it would likely be cars, motorbikes, pocket watches, shoes or something or other. You are of that ilk and you’ll indulge your curious mind in some way. Whisky found you and, today, it’s your vice.

In recent years, however, many other people have spotted your vice and they’ve stepped forward, rubbing their hands. They’ve discovered how to leverage your desires and convert them into opportunistic cash, they’ve offered you special treats; rarities, collectibles, experiments, privileges, innovations and evermore limited opportunities that will, absolutely, demand your attention. And cash. More of it than you had ever intended to sacrifice. But a vice is a vice.

Worse, an inconvenient lockdown quickened this activity as it attracted bad actors and cynical buyers-of-things and controllers-of-scarcity; scalpers, speculators, flippers, whatever you might call them. In this context I’m basically referring to professional ticket touts who, with no tickets to sell, had to turn their drilled and ready skills to something else. One of those things was whisky. They’d buy it all up, as quickly as possible, control the return flow to market as a kudos-laden trickle and watch the profits roll in. Why even go to the trouble of skillfully faking bottles when you can instead fake their scarcity? This affected you too. Perhaps also more than you intended. It certainly affected me. With the belief there was less to buy, I bought more.

I bought back-ups and, on occasion, back-ups to back-ups. Even if I didn’t, I’ll admit it wasn’t always down to pure civic responsibility or choosing to do the ‘right thing’. More likely it was because I either couldn’t get them or because I actually failed to power past the guilt, and maybe sometimes I was skint; maybe I’d already overspent on hoarding back-ups.

All the while, I’m not sure I was fully aware that I wasn’t actually always competing with my peer whisky botherers. I was instead playing a game with those who held the stocks.

As well as the more sinister professionals, casual flippers were enabled by more time at home, and there seemed to be room still for opportunistic, newer casual flippers to join the fun too. The openness of online auctions made it clear to all that anyone with the time, inclination or wherewithal to play the secondary markets in whisky could turn it into a nice little side hustle or perhaps something pretty lucrative. It took effort, study and networking, but suddenly it felt like everyone was at it. A bottle or two here, a van load there.

In time I made sense of this and pumped the brakes. My shelves filled up and, even while new whiskies poured onto the scene like a tsunami of high-strength, ultra-flammable, highly-charged temptation and excitement, I found a way to settle myself as the flames of whisky fervour soared ever higher. I found pleasure witnessing the warmth of it all from a distance, fearful of getting too close, risking burns. If the whisky found me, and the prices were fair, then so be it. Otherwise, I was happy in the infinite exploration of things less profit-yielding. This new strategy was freeing; leaving the unicorns for the dedicated and the wealthy.

I still ended up with too much.

In the end, I may be speaking for all of us when I reflect that, especially out of lockdown, our consumption has not even closely matched the output on offer from producers or our personal levels of sheer accumulation.

Somehow we’ve made space for it all; on sagging shelves, newly purchased cabinets, secret cupboards, stuffed wardrobes or rented lock-ups, whatever our original motivations may have been, we bought too much.

However today, mindful of health, responsibilities, lack of space, mood or just ending up ‘stuck with it’, I get the sense that, throughout 2023, we haven’t persisted. We certainly haven’t found a way to consume it. The vast majority of whisky botherers and virtually everyone who stops by this spot in the Whiskyverse are not drinking enough. The Glass Loch is full.

We increased our inventories but not our demand. Quite rightly. When we find a pace of consumption that suits our individual limits and preserves our responsibilities that’s where we should stop. Always. I won’t slip into preachy mode here - you’re big and grown up and you know where your limits lie. It’s my hope you pay attention to them. It’s different for everyone and I think we strive to drink differently from the old days.

The trend is downward. People are drinking less as time goes on and, while it’s a slow, shallow, downward trend-line, it is impacting things. Quality over quantity, yes, but also life choices and awareness of alternatives. Even in our bubble of analytical enjoyment and flavour-chasing comparison, I hope we are also finding pleasure in drinking less while we taste more. Teaching those who come along behind us that this is a genuine offer and a real value proposition is key in sustaining whisky’s relevance in the future, with a keen eye on physical health, mental wellbeing and long-term benefit over short term loss.

And there are losses of a different kind ahead.

The quick bucks have been made. That’s not a thing anymore. The culture of whisky; the enjoyment of it all, the fellowship, conviviality, responsibility and sharing, that’s what needs dedication and guiding hands to help it endure. Especially now those concerts and live events are back, the months ahead will be very different. How will it all pan out? Who’s gonna drink it? Who’s gonna sit on it? Who’s gonna sell it? Who’s gonna stick around? Should the zeitgeist fade and the amber light dim, how many of us will still be here swimming in this Glass Loch?

Well, and always only ever speaking for myself, I’ll be here. Come hail or high-water, contraction, boom, bust or calm, trunks packed and ready. Regardless of what level it’s at, or what temperature, I’m here for the water. And despite everything that’s happened over recent years, the swimming has been great.

Review 1/3 - Wally

Port Askaig, Cask Strength, New release, #01-2023, 59.4% ABV
£65 and generally available

Full disclosure, this bottle is a gift and therefore contributed only to the challenge of making space. Usually, when Dramface is offered a bottle of something, it goes out to the writer’s group and someone puts their hand up. It’s then forwarded on to them; an unknown face, received under an alias, once removed from the transaction and free to say whatever they please and remain as objective as possible.

This one is different, we were offered a ‘thank you’ from one of the primo team at Elixir in return for their joy of the Dramface podcast. The rightful recipient, our host, Gregor, lives far, far away in a lodge next to his own Glass Loch. So this one was instead gratefully received by me to sample out to the team. If it was offered under the encouragement of more podcasts, there was no need. Mr McWee seems keen and has suggested there will be more in the New Year.

While we’re very grateful, everyone knows by now we just do the review thing the only way we know how. If we unsettle folk or ruffle feathers, well they won’t send us any more bottles. The ‘problem’ will be solved. If it’s genuinely good, then we can witness that with the team’s review consensus. Either way, it should turn out to be something of value to you.

I have my own take on this, and it’s somewhat connected with my preamble ramble today. First though; lift glass to top lip, sniff, tilt, fill into face, wince, think and repeat.

Nose

Cooling smoke; outdoor woodsmoke, a little ash too. Biscuits and vanilla; custard creams. A pickled onion crisp packet, melted butter, granny smith apples, crisp white wine, chopped chillies and cracked peppercorns. That butter is salted.

Palate

Oh! Lovely thick arrival before a rinsing of hot chillies and ginger in brine. Then the sweetness; creamy vanilla custard and sugary lemons, ginger snaps and caramelised biscuit, sliced baked apples, a lick of cinnamon, more ginger, very spiced. Time and additional sips are required to tame the heat.

Water, half a teaspoon, settles it a bit but sharpens things too.The cold smoke from the nose is rendered warm and enveloping. If high-proof bourbon brings a Kentucky Hug then this brings a bright yellow outdoor Islay squeeze. It’s reminiscent of Lagavulin 12 and that’s compliment enough.

The Dregs

I sipped it alongside Lagavulin 12, I couldn’t help it. Only then does it betray its slightly more youthful tones; expressed mostly through those spices and heat. Sipping beyond that the profile is bang on what you’d expect from the more mellowed and slightly more elegant Lagavulin. I checked the source on this one though and it’s not Laga. It is, of course, Lagavulin’s sister Islay distillery providing the majority of 7 to 8 year old malt with some older 14yo in the mix too.

Not all Port Askaig releases are Caol Ila. In the past there have been all sorts of releases from here, there and everywhere on Islay. The only thing we know is that it’s Islay single malt and whatever other brief detail they’ve chosen to share on the label. I’ve loved most of my time with Port Askaig releases and some of them have been eye-popping. Through my own over-accumulation I still have five on hand. The 10 year anniversary sits bright in my memory, as does a gorgeous 28 year old from a while back. To contextualise amongst today’s Port Askaig releases, this one is a fuller, rounder and more luscious take on their 45.8%, 8yo core release.

Is it worth the extra over that release? Well, it depends. If you’re into your cask strength takes on malt then yes - the extra oomph is all there and that buttery, heavy thick texture seals the experience for me. Also - projectiles at the ready for this one - once I’m done swimming in the buttery vanilla and crisp cereal notes, I can’t overstate the pleasure from throwing a splash of this over an ice cube in a tumbler. It’s the express train to late-evening couch-comfy and, once more, it’s the mouthfeel and thick cool-then-warm layers in the glass that does it. However, it does sit a touch hot, so if you’re looking for this to replace that out-of-reach Lagavulin 12yo, it’s not quite there. Yet.

On the price, I think it’s more than fair. It’s on a par with Lochlea, Ardnamurchan and Glasgow 1770 Cask Strength releases. The 8yo Port Askaig at 45.8% ABV is around £48 with this first of the new style releases coming in around £65. That’s a little higher than the 100º Proof edition that it replaces, but I am surprised with each glass how good this is, it quickly clicked up a notch from a 6 to a 7 in the four or five small pours I’ve had since opening. I couldn’t compare it directly to the 100º Proof, but I think it’s a wee bit better. And that aforementioned Lagavulin? The 2022 and 2023 releases are both still available on Diageo’s malts.com, for an eye-watering £155. For me, no swimming permitted.

This new Cask Strength Port Askaig, subtly labelled “Gateway to Islay” also moves from a core release to an annual (or at least periodical) limited, small batch release. Understandable in the face of challenges in late 2023. However, if we are to be tempted to keep our own personal Lochs topped up in 2024, I suspect it’s bottlings like these that’ll need to be made available at keener prices, and I know how hard that will actually be. This next year will be a challenging year for many. The Loch is truly full, and the overspill flows back upstream.

That said, the keen eyed among you will have spotted from the images what I did as I cranked this up to a 7/10. Yes, I went straight out and grabbed another. Just for me and my own Loch. Despite everything I’ve said above. It’s a vice. I love it.

Take from that what you will.

Score: 7/10 WMc

Review 2/3 - Hamish

Port Askaig, Cask Strength, New release, #01-2023, 59.4% ABV
£65 and generally available

Big thank you to Wally for sending me a sample of this Port Askaig. It’s my first taste of Port Askaig and I’m always delighted to expand my palate and tasting experiences with something new. Here we go.

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*deliciously peaty and perfect for winter*

Nose

A delicate and typical Islay malt note. Reminds me of pickled jalapenos, with a load of lemon zest and peat smoke. That transforms into pine floor cleaner, with white pepper and smoked cheese. Pickled onion monster munch crisps, with cold cigarette ash, soggy biscuits and rain soaked wood.

Palate

Rounded. Fruity on the initial sip and a wave of smoke. Super savoury. Malted bread with melted butter. Now turning into really burnt bread and a lick of brine. Bread notes now turn into oats, maybe even ginger snap biscuits. This doesn't taste or feel like a 59.4% dram. Smoked cheese as per the nose, lovely touch there. Cold pizza dough with crispy pepperoni. Mouthfeel is a joy. Silky to the point where you sip more and more. The peat smoke just lingers on, a real long finish.

The Dregs

Can I buy this please? A fabulous experience with this dram, and overjoyed to be sent this. I’ve seen Port Askaig at a few whisky festivals over the years and kept those in mind to the end of the festival slot so as to not saturate my palate, then I'm too late.

I’m now kicking myself at not tasting Port Askaig before this dram. I’ve no one to blame but myself. This was a solid pour and goes toe to toe with the big hitters on Islay. I agree with Wally on this one, where there is a big similarity with the Lagavulin 12 CS. That peat smoke and lemon freshness is so prominent in both this Port Askaig and that Laga. Huge compliment in my opinion, as we see that yearly release go further out of reach as prices climb up and up.

Score: 7/10 HF

Review 3/3 - Ramsay

Port Askaig, Cask Strength, New release, #01-2023, 59.4% ABV
£65 and generally available

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Powerful young peat. This isn’t backwards in coming forwards*

Nose

Bags of sweet vanilla caramel and smoked bacon, with tobacco, coal tar, brine, and a light rubbery note that reminds me of a fresh pair of shoes when you open the box. Water brings out grassy farmyard and herbal aromas, with fresh mint imperials.

Palate

Sweet caramel and smoke, with a nice dry, earthy background. The smoke becomes increasingly ashen as it develops, during which it becomes very meaty, along with charred lemons. There’s a lot of salt too. I know there isn’t any actual salt in the whisky, but my taste receptors are telling my brain there is, and the sweet notes are balancing it really well. Next I get aniseed balls, gingery heat and creamy vanilla, with lingering wood smoke and cool mint.

The Dregs

A big, strong, powerful, young Caol Ila, just how I like it. It doesn’t say on the label of course, but in this writer's opinion, we can be pretty certain it is from that distillery. It’s the old cliché of beachside barbecues, maritime air and thick, ashen smoke that we often find with Islay malts, but this is a particularly good example. The sweet, earthy, salty, meaty and smoky notes all intertwine beautifully.

I reviewed the 100º Proof earlier this year, and at time of writing I can still pick that up at around £55, whereas this is around £65. I don’t think it is badly priced at all, but I would be buying the 100º Proof if I saw them alongside each other on the shelf. Both are giving similarly excellent experiences. I have since gone back and taken a look at those tasting notes, which confirm those suspicions.

If you can’t find the 100º Proof, but can buy this, then it is still highly recommended.

Score: 7/10 RT

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. WMc

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