Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 57.1%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon first flll
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Elixir Distillers
Average price: € 60.00
Official website: www.portaskaig.com
The 100° proof version, the method by which the alcohol content of spirits was originally calculated in Great Britain and is still used today in the United States, was included in the Port Askaig label six years after its launch in 2015, and has always been one of the most beloved of this independent edition of a “mysterious” single malt from Islay.
According to the producers (Elixir Distillers), it had become increasingly difficult to maintain this bottling, leading to its discontinuation in 2023. However, with the revision of the entire core range, the 100° Proof made a permanent return in May 2026, no longer with the original white label but instead with the contemporary black and gold design.
Maturation entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, about sixty per production batch, bottled at a fixed strength of 57.1% ABV (the proof is British, not American, with a ratio of 1.75 to 1), with the distillate that originally came from Caol Ila (information always provided more or less unofficially), but which in the future, with the change in distribution policy by the owner Diageo, might not be so certain.
Tasting Notes
Citrusy on the nose, but in a sweet tone, between candied fruit and jam, as is generally the aromatic palette, which ranges from crème anglaise to fondant, passing through sponge cake, marzipan, ripe peach, Bounty bar, and mature cherry plums. Saving us from diabetes are brine, an intense mineral vein, and of course peat, a coastal (and still sweetish) smoke that settles in the background. A corollary of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) and a hint of malt, more noticeable in length. Pleasing.
Of good oiliness on the palate, it reaffirms its pastry nature, albeit with a bit more spiced push (notable black pepper accompanied by a hint of ginger), always with plenty of citrus between orange and lemon manifested through candied fruits, flavored creams, and juice. Sweet licorice, milk chocolate, malt biscuits, canned peaches and pineapples complete the picture, with smoke rising in intensity while still maintaining a subordinate profile well connected to maritime nuances (iodine and seafood). In length, a bitter and vegetal blade emerges, between gentian and artichoke, bringing peat back into the foreground.
Finale quite long and bitter, with hints of licorice root, artichoke, spices (nutmeg, black pepper, a pinch of ginger), bitter orange marmalade, milk chocolate, mineral and saline notes, charcoal.
Review: Born to please, it succeeds well without giving in entirely to flamboyance, thanks to those bitter notes that balance an otherwise cloying dram. Well-centered alcohol content, just like the price tag: a carefree and economic drink without being trivial, which may well be the salvation of Scotch whisky in these challenging times.
Vote: 84/100