PORT ASKAIG 13 ans 2013 Rum Cask

Nose : Both fresh and heady. At first highly phenolic, giving voice to a fat and oily peat, the aromatic palette subsequently becomes rubbery, tarry, ashy, and empyreumatic (eucalyptus, Papier d’Arménie incense). With aeration, scents of verbena, sage, lime, and licorice form a second olfactory stage full of tension and dynamism.

Palate : Both lively and unctuous. Fermentary (barley gruel, porridge), resinous (licorice stick), saline, and medicinal (Tiger Balm, bandage), the flavor palette takes its time absorbing the peaty and smoky tones revealed by the nose. Increasingly maritime (shellfish, sea spray, kelp), it also ventures into the world of sugar cane, to the point of evoking a Jamaican rum.

Overall : Both firm and expansive. Dominated by an omnipresent peat that has turned chocolatey, roasted, and root-like, it becomes animalic over time (bacon, smoked fish). Supported by a mouthwatering malty bitterness that is absolutely essential to its persistence over time, the retro-olfaction is irrigated by the tart juice of a few citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit) and by infusions of bay leaf and linden.