Port Ellen 31 Years Old 1982 Cask #LD 10149 (Douglas of Drumlanrig)

Douglas of Drumlanrig selected this Port Ellen, a 31 year old Islay malt, from 1982, drawn from cask LD 10149 and bottled at 52.4%. The outturn was 24 bottles. The legendary Port Ellen, built in 1825 by the sea on Islay's south shore, was silenced in 1983 when Islay had one distillery too many. Its dwindling stock became some of the most collectable in Scotch.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, drawn off traditional pot stills fed by the Leorin Lochs, for the refined smoke that made its name. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Three decades and more leave a fragile, elegant smoke and a deep waxy body. Time in the cask rounds the spirit, the smoke settling into a soft, waxy depth. Three Islay distilleries proved one too many, and this was the one to close. Its smoke leans citric and mineral rather than tarry and medicinal.

At a natural 52.4% it is powerful and oily. Embers of Islay peat carries maritime salt and citrus, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. Beneath the peat run lemon, wax and a mineral note. A long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is a rare survivor of the 1983 closure.