Port Ellen 12 Years Old 1981 Cask #1414 & 1415 (Moon-Import)

This is a Port Ellen single malt, chosen and bottled by Moon-Import matured to 12 year old, from 1981, drawn from cask 1414 & 1415 and bottled at 46%. Just 792 bottles were filled. Port Ellen, dating to 1825 on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen, was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. The Port Ellen maltings survived the closure and still supply Islay.

Islay peat dried the malt, lending the spirit its coastal smoke, 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. Younger for Port Ellen, it keeps a sharper, more vigorous peat. The long sleep concentrates the smoke and builds a lanolin, waxy texture. The closed era spirit is finite, and every bottle drawn is one fewer left.

At 46% it is soft, smoky and oily. Soft coconut and vanilla from the oak, while a graceful Islay smoke carries oily lemon, brine and a lanolin wax. It is elegant and deep, the peat folded into the malt. The finish smoulders gently, oily and long. This is a piece of Islay legend in the glass.