Port Askaig 30 Year Old 2015 Release

Nose

Lots going on – honey, barley sugar, bananas and melon, backed up by restrained peat smoke.

Palate

More evident smoke complemented by wet peat, honey, lemon and the fruit from the nose.

Finish

Intense to start but fading to long and lingering sootiness with fruity hints.

Matured for more than 30 years in American oak casks, much of the heavy smoke and medicinal notes has been softened and complemented with honeysuckle and autumn fruit.

Freshly baked banana bread and sticky liquorice sweets create a moreish dram to be savoured late in the evening.

Nose

Citrus-rich with lemon and lime, joined by classic Islay notes of brine and iodine in the background.

Palate

The salinity comes through, with a hint of tropical fruit (peach and pineapple), with the iodine again subtle.

Finish

Dry with a salty tang and a peaty backbone.

Nose

Sooty fireplaces to start, followed by a blast of fruit: apples, pears and bananas. Damp oak and dowsed log fires mingle with fresh mint, a briny tang, crushed seashells and a chamois leather backbone.

Palate

Soft and oily on the palate, with stewed apple and damp oak to start. Smoke builds, but is elegant and restrained, providing a mineral-heavy counterpoint to polished oak, linseed oil and hints of liquorice. As the stronger flavours fade, a delicate floral core of honeysuckle and violet is revealed.

Finish

Soft smoke, with juicy apples and pears, shifting to honeysuckle and barley sugar, with spicy green leaves and a background whiff of smoke.

Nose

Honey, malt, gristy barley notes at first, then finely poised fruity notes arrive: Williams pear and green apple. Richness comes in the form of banana bread, while delicate peat smoke hovers in the background.

Palate

Whistle-clean apples and pears, then a honeyed character comes through, followed by well-judged peat smoke. Beautifully balanced, with no single element dominating.

Finish

Rich, honeyed fruit lingers, well supported by suitably savoury smoke.