Best in Blog: Port Askaig, Caol Ila, and Previews of the Islay Festival of Malt & Music

Seems like everyone in the whiskysphere is either gearing up for the Islay Malt & Music festival, buzzing about the release of Port Askaig. Here’s the lowdown from some of our favorite whisky blogs:

• At Malt Advocate, John Hansell reviews the 17 and 25 year old Port Askaig, bottled and sold by Whisky Exchange. From what I gather, these are independent bottlings of spirit distilled at Caol Ila (though the label looks thoroughly like an Ardbeg creation).
• Cask Strength also got their hands on the 17 and 25 year old Port Askaig. Like Malt advocate, they too seem to prefer the 17 year to it’s older sibling.
• At WhiskyFun, Serge takes things a little further and actually tastes the Port Askaig 25 next to four rare, independent bottlings of Caol Ila. The Askaig comes off rather well in the comparison.
• The Whisky Exchange and Edinburgh Whisky blogs both inform us that Diageo has announced its bottlings for the Islay Festival: a first-ever official single cask bottling of Caol Ila 12 year, and a 14 year old Lagavulin.
• Finally, our friend the Scotch Hobbyist gives his bottle of Laphroaig 15 year a try and decides that the old girl is growing on him just as she’s about to disappear off the shelves.