Port Ellen 21 Years Old 1982 (Scott’s Selection)

Single malt Port Ellen, an independent Scott's Selection bottling, aged 21 year old, from 1982 and bottled at 60.5%. Port Ellen stood on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen from its founding in 1825 until it was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. Annual Special Releases through Diageo sealed its mythic status.

The malt was peated hard over Islay peat cut from Duich Moss, giving the elegant, structured smoke that set Port Ellen apart. The spirit was run through copper pot stills on soft island water. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood holding back so the peat speaks. Two decades let the phenols ease into a rounded, coastal smoke. The long sleep concentrates the smoke and builds a lanolin, waxy texture. 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.

Undiluted at 60.5%, it is deep and smoky. Gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke, while an elegant, structured smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. The finish runs oily, saline and slow. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.