Port Ellen 17 Years Old 1982 McGibbon’s Provenance (Douglas McGibbon)

Douglas McGibbon selected this Port Ellen at 17 year old, from 1982 and bottled at 43%. Port Ellen, dating to 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, was closed in 1983 and long mourned. Its whisky grew into a legend after closure.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, for a peat reek tempered by salt and citrus. An ex-Bourbon cask shaped it, soft refill oak that lets the smoke lead. By this age the peat has begun to soften, settling into the oak and the brine. Coastal warehousing lends a saline, maritime note as the spirit breathes by the sea. 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. Its cult grew with every passing year the warehouses stayed quiet.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. A coastal peat smoke carries maritime salt and citrus, with soft vanilla and a touch of coconut from the cask. Beneath the peat run lemon, wax and a mineral note. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a revered Islay malt from a distillery silent for forty years.