Port Ellen 33 Years Old 1983 Cask #MoS 16055 (Malts of Scotland)

Malts of Scotland selected this Port Ellen, a 33 year old Islay malt, from 1983, drawn from cask MoS 16055 and bottled at 57.1%. Only 249 bottles were released. Port Ellen stood beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was closed in 1983 and long mourned. It became the most lamented of all the lost distilleries.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, for a peat reek tempered by salt and citrus. 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. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.1%, it is intense. Embers of Islay peat carries salted citrus and a soft wax, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. Soft embers and brine sit behind the smoke. A long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.