Port Ellen 16 Years Old 1979 (Connoisseurs Choice)

From Gordon & MacPhail comes this Port Ellen, a 16 year old from 1979 and bottled at 40%. Port Ellen was dating to 1825 on the Kildalton shore of Islay and brought to a halt in 1983. Most of its make once went to blends, but its single malt became the prize.

Distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding the poised, maritime smoke of classic Port Ellen. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon American oak, gentle wood beneath the peat. Around two decades in oak knit the smoke with the wood into a maritime, citrus edged malt. Refill wood flatters Port Ellen, holding back the vanilla so the smoke and citrus speak. Its cult grew with every passing year the warehouses stayed quiet. The closed era spirit is finite, and every bottle drawn is one fewer left. The spirit breathed sea air through long maturation on the island. Walter Frederick Campbell laid out the village of Port Ellen in 1821.

Bottled at 40%, it is rounded. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on a smoky, mineral note, with a whisper of coconut from the cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. Salt, smoke and wax draw out the close. This is a finite pour from Islay's most mourned distillery.