Port Ellen 25 Years Old 1982 Rare Cask Edition XXI (The Queen of the Moorlands)

The Queen of the Moorlands bottled this Port Ellen single malt matured to 25 year old, from 1982 and bottled at 46%. The outturn was 119 bottles. The legendary Port Ellen, opened in 1825 on the Kildalton shore of Islay, was 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. An ex-Bourbon hogshead held it, the soft oak letting the Islay character lead. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. The peat came from Islay's own Duich Moss, localising the whole character. For years the spirit went quietly into blends before its single malt became a legend. Each Diageo Special Release thinned a stock that could never be replaced.

At 46% it is smooth and elegant. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on a coastal peat smoke, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a rare survivor of the 1983 closure.