Historic Distilleries: Port Ellen

Port Ellen was founded back in 1825, and ran fluently with a bunch of different owners until it was mothballed by John Dewar & Sons back in 1929. Thereafter it was closed for nearly 4 decades. In 1967 Port Ellen started distilling again. But only for about 16 years. In 1983 it was mothballed by DLC (Diageo), as a result of them wanting to let Lagavulin be its main Islay distillery, keeping Caol Ila running as a workhorse to make malt for blending purposes. Port Ellen have since been used as a malting plant for the other Islay distilleries, only Bruichladdich and Kilcoman, maybe Bunnahabhain?, if I'm correct, are malting part of their own barley till this date. Since the distillery closing, the public have found a new love for this malt and the prices are sky-rocketing as we speak. Thankfully I have purchased, traded and gathered near to 40 PE's for these sessions. This should make for some interesting tastings of whiskies the world may never see again.


Port Ellen 19yo 1976-1996 43% Hart Brothers

Not that many Port Ellens under 20yo out there anymore. I'm glad I was able to fetch a few from some sample sellers a couple of years ago. The color on this one is golden. It smells peppery, peaty, raw, black pepper, raw onions, thyme, grassy, leather, fish sauce, salty. Not very coastal, or Islay-coastal that is. Reminds me more of Ledaig or Longrow. The taste is sweet, vanilla, sugary, pear cider, peat, black pepper, clean and sweet peat character. The finish is peaty, herbal, drying, peppery, sea salt and sour apples.

Clean and fresh Port Ellen: 8


Port Ellen 22yo 1980-2002 46% Silver Seal Special Reserve

Another "young" PE, at least by the standard of todays bottlings. The color is golden. It smells peaty, licorice, seaweed, grassy, onions, smoked salmon, smoky, salty, grainy, fish eggs. The taste is peppery, peaty, bitter oranges, limes, banana peel, raw onions. I rarely add water to bourbon matured peated whiskies, an won1t in this case either. The reason for that is the cask must be extremely active to make good use of the water as peat and water usually develops negatively when combined, in my opinion.

Bitter-fruity PE, a bit strange, but I don't mind: 7.5


Port Ellen 25yo 1982-2008 46% High Spirits

Last low strength PE before I'll head into an impressive streak of Old Bothwell PEs. The color is light golden. It smells herbal, buttery, peaty, ashes, coal, vanilla, honey, chili, smoke, gasoline. Herbal and peat are the dominating notes in this one. The taste is sweet, toffee, butter, caramel, peat, a mellow and sweet Islayer. The finish is peppery and peaty with some lingering vanilla sweetness. A bit harsh, but in this case I'm quite happy with a rough ending, as it contrasts the rather weak palate.

Sweet light PE, atypical: 6.5


Port Ellen 29yo 1979-2009 53.9% Old Bothwell cask#7089

Time for 5 Old Bothwells in a row. Should be some great ones in this bunch, lets taste. The color is golden. It smells vanilla, banana, pineapple, dried cinnamon, peppery, peaty, smoky, raw onions, ashes, lime. It gives the perception of a young Islaye, maybe a bourbon-matured Laphroaig or Ardbeg. The taste is vanilla, clay, peat, ashes, dry cider, dry white wine, sour apples. Adding water. Now it turns more bitter, bitter grapes, apple core, gingery, seems time have tamed most of the coastal and peaty notes that perhaps once was in this spirit. The finish is leathery, drying, bitter-fruity.

Dry fruits and vanilla, little peat: 6


Port Ellen 26yo 1979-2006 54% Old Bothwell cask#7094

Another bourbon casked Old Bothwell Port Ellen distilled in 1979, lets hope this one is a bit more coastal than cask#7089. The color is lightgolden. It smells peppery, peaty, black pepper, cigar smoke, leather, ashes, fish stock, salt water, raw onions, bitter, herbal, lemon. The taste is peaty, peppery, chillies, dry white wine. Another bitter one, I believe some water is needed here. Now it turns more peaty, ashes, burnt oak, peppery, smoked ham, black roquefort, salt crystals, cigar smoke. The finish is earthy, biitter and oaky, a bit of a campbeltown finish.

To be fair, its a Port Ellen well below par: 4.5


Port Ellen 26yo 1983-2009 54.9% Old Bothwell cask#220

When a bottler suddenly bottles a vast array of whiskies from a closed distillery its easy to say they're surfing a hype, and that any leftovers from this distillery will be bottled if available. Lets hope thats not the case with Old Bothwell. The color is golden. It smells peat, grease, grassy, dandelions, floral, oaky, vanilla, white grapes, raw onions, lime, soapy, salmi, cured/smoked ham. The taste is vanilla, peat, peppery, spearmint,black pepper, minty, dry white wine. The best from Old Bothwell, classic PE. The finish is peppery, citron, watermelon, white pears, fino sherry, great whisky.

Superb, smoky and fruity: 8


Port Ellen 27yo 1982-2009 55.7% Old Bothwell cask#2473

A couple of 1982s to finish this session. I'll enjoy these parts of the legacy from one of the lost treasures of Scotland as well as I can. The color is golden amber. It smells buttery, salty, sherried, creamy, cinnamon, cigar smoke, leather, rich, vanilla, dark chocolate, great stuff! The taste is sweet, honey, cinnamon, buttery, peaty, ginger, It seems this comes from a superb sherry cask. The finish is peaty, herbal, oaky, sulphur, bitters, genever, orange zest. What a whisky!

Some say sherry and peat son't go together, I beg the differ: 9


Port Ellen 27yo 1982-2009 56.4% Old Bothwell cask#2845

The final one, and the strongest of the Bothwell bunch. I must admit I wish for another sherried dram now. The color is amber. It smells peppery, peaty, licorice, herbal, sulphur, honey, spearmint, ginger, vanilla, grassy, floral. Another herbal/floral malt it seems. The taste is vanilla, heather, floral, oaky, burnt, grapefruit, grape soda, tonic water, ginger. The finish is peppery, peaty, leather, gasoline, grassy, peat smoke, burnt grease.

A good PE, just a bit weird, and not coastal at all: 7


Port Ellen 25yo 1982-2007 56.1% Berry Bros cask#2850

Ending this sitting with a whisky from an IB that rarely fails to impress me. The color is white wine. It smells light, plum syrup, pear juice, onions, vanilla, licorice, hay, rubbery, wheat beer, certainly very different than most other Port Ellens I've tried. The taste is vanilla, peppery, peaty, tongue numbing, kinda raw, some pastry and wheaty notes. This seems no more than 10yo at most. Raw, spirity and unfinished whisky. Lets add some water. Now it turns more grassy, herbal, bitter, lowland style. The finish is soft, peppery, rubbery, spirity, one to avoid if possible.

Grassy, vegetal and herbal notes: 3


Port Ellen 26yo 1982-2009 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing cask#5398


#Second sitting. If there is one IB that have released a lot of old Port Ellen casks in the past years, it must be Douglas Laing. What an investment that must have been. The color is golden. It smells peaty, leather, cinnamon, honey, licorice, hay, sea salt, smoked salmon, cod liver, oyster sauceseashell stock, boiled white wine, ashes, peat. The taste is peaty, peppery, ginger and lemon. Heavy bitter lemon notes. Time to add some water here. Now it turns sweeter, earthy, peaty, ashes, salted butter, grilled duck skin, stewed onions, leather. The finish is long, bitter and peaty.

A Port Ellen with quite some kick and flair, not for beginners: 8


Port Ellen 25yo 1982-2008 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing cask#4112

A sample from a large butt, holding enough whisky for no less than 589 bottles. Refill wood. The color is light golden. It smells sweet, caramel, licorice, honey, buttery, ashes, peat smoke, paint thinner, glue, salty, waxy, smoked beef. The taste dry, peaty, peppery, ginger, tonic water, grape soda, genever bitter. Pretty raw despite its age, but remember, the bigger the cask the more time it needs to impact the spirit, usually. The finish is bitter, wormwood, grape fruit, as bitter as it gets. Time for some water. Now it turns more sour, rubbery, envelope glue, peppery.

a semi-foul cask in my opinion: 4


Port Ellen 25yo 1983-2008 52.5% Golden Cask cask#136

There aren't that many Golden Cask bottlings readily available out there, and my experiences with it are very small. But I know the producer of the series is The House of MacDuff. The color is amber. It smells phenolic, peat, cinnamon, basil, oregano, leather, thyme, sulphur, gasoline, onions, salty butter, fish sauce, fantastic sherried Islay style with lots of herbal notes. The taste is dark chocolate, coffee beans, leather, lemon peel, honey, cod liver, straw, white pepper, oaky, cinnamon, bittersweet dry sherry, tannins, superb style. The finish is cinnamon, peaty and salty. How superb a mix of sherry and peat. One usually dominates the other, but not in this one.

Total harmony in a glass: 9.5


Port Ellen 27yo 1983-2010 54.8% Douglas of Drumlanrig/Pe3 Elements of Islay cask#6724

A shared cask, bottle by Douglas Laing for the Douglas of Drumlanrig-series, which usually carries 46%abv strength. The other part went into the 3rd edition of Port Ellen from Specialty Drink, called Pe3. The color is golden. It smells waxy, peppery, oaky, vanilla, creamy, stewed onions, herbal, stilton, earthy, green tea, raw onions, neither coastal nor peaty. So maybe not as many elements of Islay as one might believe from the title. It seems more herbal and earthy. The taste is bitter and peppery, herbal, ginger, dry licorice, earthy, a decent malt, but little thrills. Lets add some water. Now it turns more caramel, sweet wine, honey, mead, vanilla, very mild and gentle for a Port Ellen. The finish is peppery, vanilla, a slight Laphroaig resemblance here, mellowed peat and honey.

Sweet and light PE: 6


Pe5 NAS 57.9% Elements of Islay, Speciality Drinks

I don't know why they insist on bottling these pre 1984-distillations with no age statements, but lets not get caught up in that. I believe this is the most recent PE from Speciality Drinks. I wish they'd leave a bit more information on their labels. perhaps they are restrained from doing so if they buy cask shares from other owners IBs. The color is amber. It smells peaty, olives, syrup, waxy, rubbery, soapy, raw onions, grassy, caramel, steamed milk, vanilla. The taste is sweet, creamy, vanilla, peaty, smoky, ashes, green peppers, heather. The finish is peppery, rubbery, leather, with some weak peaty notes.

I must admit I'm not too fond of these Pe Elements from Specialty drinks: 5


Port Ellen 24yo 1982-2007 59.6% The Whisky Fair

This one comes from a sherry butt. Those casks often lose alcohol strength at a slower pace than the more modern hogshead casks. The color is white wine. It smells of peat, smoke, ashes, coastal, sea air, vanilla, licorice, pistachio, wasabi, a sweet and peppery Port Ellen that reminds me a bit of some Caol Ilas. The taste is sweet, marzipan, black pepper, spearmint, onions, leeks, vanilla, shallots, cottage cheese, lavender. The finish is pistachio, onions, spicy, eucalyptus, grainy.

High strength, medium quality: 4


Port Ellen 26yo 1982-2008 60.4% Dewar Rattray cask#2466

This one was matured in a single sherry cask, but I don't know what size. I imagine a butt. Again a very high strength for its age, it could be an octave as well. The color is light golden. It smells rubbery, peppery, chillies, strong tea, lavender, grease, wasabi, a rather hot one. The taste is dry, peppery, vanilla, spicy cinnamon, heather, burnt, leather, shoe polish, bitter. Lets add some water. Now it turns more fruity, apples, gingerbread, soft peat smoke, almonds, rye biscuits, leather, creamy. The finish is peppery and sweet, vanilla and honey.

Another Port Ellen below par in this sitting: 3.5


Port Ellen 27yo 1982-2010 62.6% The Whisky Agency

This one comes from an ex-bourbon cask, and shows that none of my prior theories about strength and cask types are necessarily waterproof. Substantial strength after 27 years on oak. The color is pale amber. It smells peaty, ashes, earthy, leather, ginger, vanilla, honey, stewed onions, bananas, sweet white wine, a really sweet and fresh PE. The taste is dry, peppery, peaty, vanilla, syrup, lemon peel, pistachio, really light and easy whisky. Let's add some water. Now it turns heathery, aniseed, vanilla, honey, stewed onions, creamy, a rich, but far from interesting one. The finish is sweet, coffee beans and brittle.

My guess is that this could easily mature for 10 more years: 5


Port Ellen 18yo 1982-2001 43% McGibbons Provenance Winter

Another series by Douglas Laing, starting this sitting with a lot of sherried ones. This particular bottling is rumored to contradict much from most other Port Ellens due to its heavy oloroso influence. Lets discover! The color is hazel brown. It smells sweet, red wine, salty, honey, leather, cinnamon, oranges, red paprika, buttery, leather. A decent one so far, but no peat or smoke. Maybe its just because of the low strength. The taste is sweet, syrup, maltiness, mango, ginger, honey, vanilla, peat. A sweet and very shy one. The finish is short and peppery.

The least coastal PE I've ever had: 5


Port Ellen 26yo 1983-2009 51.4% Reffeirschildt Romantic Rhine Collection

This one comes from a refill sherry octave, which is a huge cask that often needs quite some years to fully impact the whisky. The color is light brown/dark amber. It smells peaty, herbal and peppery, rubbery, salty, malt vinegar, cedar wood, cinnamon, ginger, green peppers, chili, drying, pretty delicate and spicy one. The taste is dry, bitter, herbal, salty licorice, very strong, lets add some water. Now it becomesmore honeyed, vanilla, cinnamon, oaky, cedar wood, leather, stewed onions, mashed carrots, another PE thats overdriven by the sherried oak? Its a perfectly good dram, but if this cask held a lighter speyside spirit for 26 years, it'd be an instant winner, I believe. The finish is burnt, tannic, honey and spicy cinnamon.

A good whisky, but two worlds collide a bit here: 6


Port Ellen 28yo 1982-2010 56% Thosop BVBA

A couple of years ago, it seemed IB bottlings of Port Ellen came and went like men at the red light district. Now however, any new PE seems to have about the equal price a gram as silver. Foreign IB's like Thosop also had their share of bottlings. The color on this is golden amber. It smells peaty, grassy, heather, raw onions, tarry, iodine, coastal, salty, fresh herbs, nestles, cauliflower, broccoli. The taste is sweet, vanilla and caramel, cinnamon, butter, malty. A palate with little impact, a tad tired. The finish is salty, coastal, peaty. More PE character now. Lets add some water. Now it turns peppery, green notes, herbal, grassy, peaty, honey, vanilla, sweet sherry, tannins, oranges, a rich and full-on PE from some active oak.

Pleasant and light Port Ellen, introduction malt?: 7


Port Ellen 27yo 1983-2010 56% Malts of Scotland cask#66

This one comes from a refill sherry butt. Malts of Scotland has bottled a couple Port Ellens, usually very good stuff. The color is pale yellow. It smells peat, caramel, honey, leather, peppery, toffee, vanilla pudding, caramel sauce, a bit of a dessert malt. The taste is peppery, rubbery, pine wood, perfumy, oaky, dark chocolate. Very concentrated. Adding water. Now it turns buttery, sweeter, vanilla, resinous, camphor, slick and smooth malt whisky, too much oak character? The finish is thick, concentrated, perfumy.

For sherry lovers, but not my cup of Port Ellen: 5


Port Ellen 28yo 1982-2010 57.5% Whiskysite/QVID

This one comes from a sherry puncheon, lets hope it lets the Port Ellen profile shine through a bit more than the #66 did. The color is golden. It smells oranges, orange peel, grassy, leather, raw onions, herbal, coastal, salty, thyme, oily, butter, white pepper, ginger. The taste is vanilla, white pepper, ashes, strong, eucalyptus, minty, drying, this one needs some water to open up I think. It seems a bit restrained. Now it turns sweeter, butterscotch, peppery, peaty, olive oil, feta cheese, ginger. The finish is bitter and peppery.

Mediocre malt, reminds me of some inferior Caol Ilas: 4


Port Ellen 24yo 1982-2007 58.2% Dewar Rattray cask#2463

Finally one from a fresh sherry cask, apart from the McGibbon's Provenance of course. The color is brown. It smells peaty, sulphur, honey, iodine, rubber, cinnamon, heather, ashes, butter, dried herbs, coca cola, phenols, dried paprika. The taste is peaty, cinnamon, spicy, heather, hay, chillies, clay, leather, ashes, honey, brilliant sherry notes, but where is the PE in all of this? No coastal character. Lets add some water. Now it becomes more honeyed, sweeter, more ashes, cigar smoke, caramel, orange zest, honey melon, kiwi. The finish is licorice, herbal, spicy, citric, bitter.

PE and sherry, I'm still not a big fan: 5


Port Ellen 29yo 1982-2012 58.6% Malts of Scotland cask#12017

In the past three whiskies I've enjoyed whisky from both sherry butt and sherry octave, which makes it time for one from a sherry hogshead. The color is golden amber. It smells cinnamon, leather, honey, oloroso sherry, bacon, barbecue sauce, peaty, cigar smoke, grilled tomatoes, sweet vinegar, ashes, stout, porter ale. The taste is honey, dried fruits, drying, leather, sweet cinnamon, stewed onions, cranberries, dry sherry, peaty, blood oranges, dried beef, oaky. The finish is peppery, ginger, herbal, mustard, ashes. Time to add some water. Now it turns more honeyed, creamy, custard, brine, peaty.

I think its the best sherried one thus far: 8


Port Ellen 28yo 1982-2010 61.3% Wilson & Morgan cask#2347

This one comes from a refill butt, which makes me assume we're talking about european oak and previous sherry content, but I could be wrong in that assumption. Seriously high strength at this age. The color is golden amber. It smells peaty, ashes, peppery, smoky, ginger, oaky, burnt, coastal, leather, salty, tannic. The taste is bitter, pisang liqueur, vanilla, ashes, peppery, chillies, salty. Adding water. Now it turns sweeter, more herbal, parsley, minty, grassy, chives, the peat and sherried notes disappearsonce water is added. It becomes more enjoyable, but less complex.

Rough at first, dies like fire when waters added: 4.5


Port Ellen 19yo 1971-1991 40% Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice

Starting this sitting with a real oldie. The color is shiny golden, E's? Yes, I suspect so. It smells peaty, waxy, spirity, honey, roasted almonds, barbecue smoke, peppery, tannins, red wine, quite rich and spicy. Very good one! The taste is sweet, marzipan, caramel, sweet white wine, cinnamon, sauternes, honey, peaty, peppery. The finish is peaty, tannic, sweet wine, malt syrup, honey. This is actually a quite grand sherried Port Ellen, I'll add some water even though its certainly not needed here. With water it turns lighter, more vanilla, custard, cinnamon, creamy, delightful!

Port Ellen Distillery, what a loss!: 8.5


Port Ellen 29yo 1978-2007 55.3% OB 8th Release

I've scrambled together some OB's, lets have them now, in descending historical order (wow!). The color is amber. It smells minty, peaty, spearmint, smoke, ashes, cinnamon, sweet, honey, caramel, brittle, aniseed. The taste is malty, plums, cinnamon, ashes, phenolic, sulphur, drying, honey, sweet porter, one of the finer PE's I've had so far. The finish is peaty, peppery, sulphury, drying, ashes, caramel, a really sweet PE. I must say that this is no representative of how Port Ellen whisky used to be, but its sure a good one anyhow.

Dry sweet caramel with peat in the background: 8


Port Ellen 27yo 1978-2006 54.2% OB 6th Release

Same vintage as the 8th release, but bottled two years prior, but at lower strength, I hope this whisky will be a bit more coastal? It smells peaty, peppery, coastal, salty, lacquer, cinnamon, oranges, leather, ashes, salt water, smoked haddock, fried pork rind, bacon. The taste is sweet, vanilla, lemon, sour citric, burnt, peppery, celp, lime, iodine. This is much more PE in my opinion, coastal and peaty. The finish is short and peppery. This whisky sure has a great nose an palate, I wonder how it just drops dead on the finish. A bit strange that, but all in all a pretty great Port Ellen.

Its more typical PE, but I'd prefer the 8yo: 7.5


Port Ellen 25yo 1979-2005 57.4% OB 5th Release

I just now realize that I've put another whisky into the photo, the Pe5 from Speciality Drinks, but fear not, I have the 5th release and just put it into my tulip glass. The color is amber. It smells peaty, leather, herbal, garlic, burnt oak, cedar wood, peppery, wasabi, salmi, ashes, butter, salty, salty licorice, sea salt, smoked salmon, fried rice. The taste is peppery, salty, licorice, varnish, camomile, ashes, leather, seaweed, iodine, metallic. The finish is waxy, petrol, ashes, peaty, peppery, rich and sulphury. This is perhaps the best PE I've ever had.

Supreme PE, Laphroaig and Springbank meets Glenrothes: 9.5


Port Ellen 24yo 1979-2003 57.3% OB 3rd Release

I hope this is as good as the 5th release, and it could well be. Remember, as posthumous OB's are put out, they need to be good to begin with to create the hype they're hoping for. I believe the most recent OB PE is very overpriced anyway you look at it, but because they've established a name now, they can do so. The color is amber. It smells peaty, leather, red wine, caramel, dark chocolate, cocoa, rubbery, waxy, stearic, cranberries, dark berries, ashes. The taste is sweet, peppery, caramel, aniseed, butter, ashes, vanilla, dried oranges, dried fruits, peaches, pears, plums, dark grapes. The finish is waxy, petrol, honey, sour apples, ginger, butter cream, salty, ashes, peppery. Lets add some water. Now it turns lighter, caramel, oily, butter, fresh thyme, herbal, ashes, butterscotch, vanilla, honey. The finish is bitter, sulphury, onions, caramel, white wine.

An amazingly complex whisky, not for beginners: 8


Port Ellen 19yo 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

So this could latest be bottled in 2002, due to the distillery closing in 1983, which means its had some time in the bottle. That often has a good effect on the whisky. A bit like wine often further develops in a bottle. The color is amber. It smells peaty, leather, cinnamon, latex, ashes, sweet, honey, dried onions, ginger, iodine, coastal, sea salt, briny, camphor. The taste is very peppery, peaty honey notes, bitter sherry, apple juice and caramel, a bit of everything in this one. The finish is peppery and long. Adding water. I becomes more herbal, licorice, onions, spring onions, parsley, grassy, a fine development, but little reminds me of a peaty Islayer.

An Islayer with a bit of lowlander: 8.5


Port Ellen 28yo 1983-2011 58.9% Malts of Scotland cask#11011

From a bourbon hogshead, a tight one indeed, usually these american casks reduces the whisky's strength more than this after 28 years. The color is light golden. It smells vanilla, peaty, spirity, peppery, hay, raw onions, heather. The taste is vanilla, honey, peaty, drying, ashes, marshmallow, citric, lemon, oranges, grapefruit. The finish is peaty, salty, iodine, sulphury, citric bitterness, lemon rind. Time to add some water. Now it turns very mild, vanilla, honey, toffee, yoghurt, some peat in the aftertaste, but water tamed this lion in an instance. Its still got some class, its just a bit less segregated from other "good" whiskies. Loses a bit of its sting.

A very natural Port Ellen, I don't think you will find many of them around anymore: 8


Port Ellen 25yo 51% The Golden Cask

These days this even seems a fairly young Port Ellen, but I have some real youngsters after this. The color is light golden. It smells peaty, linseed oil, hay, vanilla, creamy, yeasty, licorice, white wine, herbal, oregano, ashes, salty, smoked mackerel. The taste is peppery, coastal, sea salt, fish eggs, smoked salmon, latex, salty water, ashes, grainy, feints, heather. some retrained vanilla notes. This is flawless Port Ellen, but not as peaty as many of the others. The finish is sweet, nutty and kinda short, small peppery notes. Delightful, far from intense in any way. Lets add some water. Now it turns more honeyed, peppery, wasabi, more peaty, burnt oak, cigar smoke, more PE now.

Some might say it excels with water, some might beg the differ, are you a peat fan?: 7.5


Port Ellen 14yo 1977-1991 59.7% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#2017

Hurray, a young single cask Port Ellen. I'll just skip all the sentimentality in this one and get right to the notes, if not would've been a long one I'm afraid. The color is dark golden, and with small cask sediments. The nose is spicy, peppery, peat, sulphur, ashes, tannic, bonfire, caramel, dark chocolate, toasted bread, black roquefort. Peat and sweet sherry from A to Z. It actually smells rich and thick, normally I don't find that on the nose. The taste is peppery, strong dark chocolate, spicy cinnamon, drying, orange zest, cigar smoke, sawdust, ginger, waxy, honey. I'd say this might be from a bourbon cask, but if so, its perhaps one of the most complex I've ever tried from such wood. The finish is burnt, smoky, salty, a real ashtray, burnt tires, a galore of peat and spicy cinnamon. I won't add water here, its just too god on its own, I'm saving the last 3cl of this for a very special day, at around 3rd October when I'll becomes a dad for the first time. I think such an occasion should be celebrated with something like this.

Perhaps the most peaty complex PE I've ever had: 10


Port Ellen 16yo 1978-1993 61.8% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#2694,2695

I do not dare hope for the same magic as I found in the 1977, but you never know with this series from G&M, especially older youngsters, its a shame they don't put as much effort into it as before, it seems. The color is dark golden. It smells leather, honey, onions, cinnamon, ashes, grainy, salty licorice, wheat, hay, peppery, seaweed, sea salt, rotting fish, diesel, herbal, moss, ashes. The taste is honeyed, spirity, caramel, sugary, peaty, wax, sea salt, iodine, leather, perfumy, chewing tobacco, herbal, rice wine, vinegar. The taste is peaty, dry, peppery, licorice, vanilla, onions, waxy, chillies, this one could use some water. Adding water. Now it turns sweeter, more bitter, herbal liqueur, still kinda raw. The finish is peaty, peppery, floral, nestles, ginger, wax, raw onions, lentils, black beans.

A lot of wax, herbs and perfume: 5.5


Port Ellen 14yo 1980-1995 64.7% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#5088,5089,5091,5092,5093

A multi-cask bottling, but many of those have shown to be just as great as single casks, in my opinion. And what a strength! The color is light golden. It smells extremely burnt, phenolic and peaty. More phenolic than peaty, but the combination is extreme here. Some grainy notes, floral, spirity. The taste is drying, peaty, ashes, cigar smoke, candle wax, sugary, plum spirit. Kinda sweet enticing, but needs some water as its mostly strong spirity notes. Water added. Now it turns more peaty, rubbery, smoky, intense smoke, like when puffing the end of a cigar, honey, timothy, coal fire. An intense dram, which I'm suspecting would've been fantastic at around 18yo. The finish is peaty, drying, citric, lime, lemon. Interesting, but surely a bit raw and unfinished.

I think this bottling might have been a hunt for sensation: 5




Port Ellen Distillery then



Port Ellen Maltings now



Next tasting: Peated Tobermory/Ledaig