Port Ellen 18 Years Old 1971 (G&M)

Gordon & MacPhail selected this Port Ellen matured to 18 year old, from 1971 and bottled at 40%. Port Ellen stood on the Kildalton shore of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was brought to a halt in 1983. Its rarity made each bottle a collector's grail.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding a clean, mineral smoke with a citric lift. An ex-Bourbon hogshead held it, the soft oak letting the Islay character lead. Around two decades in oak knit the smoke with the wood into a maritime, citrus edged malt. Refill ex-Bourbon oak, having given its sharpest notes to an earlier fill, lets the peat and the spirit lead. Port Ellen was one of three Diageo Islay distilleries, the one judged surplus in 1983. Its warehouses by the bay, built under John Ramsay, still stand as listed buildings.

At an easy 40% it is gentle and briny. A soft maritime smoke carries maritime salt and citrus, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. Beneath the peat run lemon, wax and a mineral note. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.