Port Ellen 26 Years Old 1982 Cask #1135 (Signatory)

Single malt Port Ellen, an independent Signatory Vintage bottling, a 26 year old Islay malt, from 1982, drawn from cask 1135 and bottled at 51.2%. 318 bottles in all. Established in 1825 on the windswept south of Islay, Port Ellen was shut by DCL in 1983. Annual Special Releases through Diageo sealed its mythic status.

The malt was peated hard over Islay peat cut from Duich Moss, giving a coastal smoke threaded with lemon. The spirit was distilled in copper pot stills with water from the lochs. Maturation in a refill ex-Bourbon barrel kept the malt lean and smoky. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. The peat phenols fade only slowly, which is why even very old Port Ellen keeps its smoke. 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.

At its natural 51.2% it is rich and briny. A light vanilla from the refill oak, while a gently medicinal smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. Embers and sea salt see out a long finish. This is stock from the legendary closed era, ever scarcer.