Port Ellen 16 Years Old 1969 Celtic Label (G&M)

This is a Port Ellen single malt, chosen and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail matured to 16 year old, from 1969 and bottled at 40%. 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.

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. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Two decades let the phenols ease into a rounded, coastal smoke. The peat phenols fade only slowly, which is why even very old Port Ellen keeps its smoke. The closed era spirit is finite, and every bottle drawn is one fewer left. The spirit breathed sea air through long maturation on the island.

At 40% it is smooth and elegant. Gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke, while a briny peat smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. Deep and elegant, the smoke lingers long. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.