Elixir Distillers

In 2002 Sukhinder Singh bottled his first cask of whisky under a new brand, The Single Malts of Scotland.^1,2 Whiskypedia dates the first Single Malts of Scotland releases to 2005.^1,2 Elements of Islay, a rotating range of single malts from Islay, followed in 2008.^1,4 Port Askaig came in 2009, named after a port on Islay's east coast rather than a distillery.^1,2

The bottling arm, until 2017 called Speciality Drinks, became the home for creating, blending, bottling and selling abroad all the company's spirits.^1,2,3 By 2018 it was bottling Elements of Islay from casks of the island's working distilleries, and Port Askaig from an undisclosed Islay distillery, widely reputed to be Caol Ila.^5,6 Head blender Oliver Chilton said the team's knowledge guided it to find and bottle great whisky, and its own distillery would apply the same methodology and passion for flavour.^5,6

In April 2018 it announced plans for an Islay distillery near Port Ellen, which Sukhinder Singh wanted for future supplies of malt whisky; work began at the end of 2020.^5,6,7 Named Portintruan after the farm estate on the site, it plans to use malt mostly from its own floor maltings and to heat its wash stills over a direct fire.^5,6,7 In April 2021 it named Georgie Crawford distillery manager, after 14 years at Diageo, most recently on the revival of Port Ellen.^7,8 In 2021 the Singh brothers sold The Whisky Exchange and its Speciality Drinks distribution unit to Pernod Ricard, but not Elixir Distillers, by then a separate firm.^9,