Port Ellen 13th Release

This official Port Ellen single malt matured to 34 year old, from 1978 and bottled at 55%. 2958 bottles in all. Port Ellen stood on the Kildalton shore of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was brought to a halt in 1983. Its rarity made each bottle a collector's grail.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding a clean, mineral smoke with a citric lift. Refill ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, the wood Port Ellen is most often found in. At such an age the peat is soft and distant, the malt waxy, oily and profound. Coastal warehousing lends a saline, maritime note as the spirit breathes by the sea. Collectors chase these closed era bottles as some of the most prized in Scotch. The 2024 revival rebuilt the stills, but casks like this remain from the original distillery.

At a hearty 55% it carries real weight. Drifting Islay peat smoke carries salted citrus and a soft wax, with a thread of vanilla from the bourbon wood. Soft embers and brine sit behind the smoke. It fades on smoke, citrus and a saline tang. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.