Port Ellen 17 Years Old 1974 Vintage for Meregalli Import (G&M)

Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, this Port Ellen, a 17 year old from 1974 and bottled at 40%. Port Ellen was first founded in 1825 on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen and closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. A new Port Ellen opened in 2024, while bottles like this remain from the old.

The barley was kilned over peat to around thirty five phenol parts per million and run through copper pot stills on soft island water, for the austere, structured peat the malt is known for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for Port Ellen. By this age the peat has begun to soften, settling into the oak and the brine. Port Ellen was matured largely in refill casks, which sharpen the smoke and leave the malt a touch austere. 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.

At 40% it is balanced and smoky. A gently medicinal smoke runs over a waxy, briny lift, with light oak sweetness underneath. The texture is oily and coating, the smoke threaded with sea salt. Embers and sea salt see out a long finish. This is a vanishing dram from Islay's most storied closed distillery.