Port Ellen 23 Years Old 1978 Cask #5339 (Signatory)

Bottled by Signatory Vintage, this Port Ellen matured to 23 year old, from 1978, drawn from cask 5339 and bottled at 57.4%. The outturn was 252 bottles. Port Ellen, dating to 1825 on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen, was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. Port Ellen distilled again from 2024, yet this is spirit from the closed era.

The barley was kilned over peat to around thirty five phenol parts per million and run through copper pot stills on soft island water, for the austere, structured peat the malt is known for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for Port Ellen. Decades have eased the peat to a soft reek over beeswax and old oak. Decades in oak soften the phenols, turning sharp peat reek into mellow embers. Laid down before 1983, this is spirit from a distillery that stood silent for forty years.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.4%, it is intense. A graceful Islay smoke runs over lemon peel and sea brine, with soft coconut and vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is oily, the smoke carried on a waxy body. The finish smoulders gently, oily and long. This is a piece of Islay legend in the glass.