Port Ellen 16 Years Old 1983 The Cooper’s Choice (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

From The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd comes this Port Ellen, a 16 year old Islay malt, from 1983 and bottled at 55.9%. Port Ellen, dating to 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, was closed in 1983 and long mourned. Its last casks were laid down in 1983, a finite legacy ever since.

Made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, building the oily, briny style it is loved for. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon American oak, gentle wood beneath the peat. Past twenty years the smoke mellows and the oily, waxy texture builds. The slow loss of the angel's share, a percent or two each year, has concentrated the liquid over decades. Few lost distilleries are mourned as deeply, or bottled as devotedly, as Port Ellen. The refined, citric smoke set it apart from its more medicinal Islay neighbours. Laid down before 1983, this is spirit from a distillery that stood silent for forty years.

At cask strength 55.9% it is muscular. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on drifting Islay peat smoke, with soft vanilla and a touch of coconut from the cask. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. It fades on smoke, citrus and a saline tang. This is a revered Islay malt from a distillery silent for forty years.