Port Ellen 18 Years Old 1981 Cask #1390 (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

This is a Port Ellen single malt, chosen and bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd, an 18 year old from 1981, drawn from cask 1390 and bottled at 43%. Only 300 bottles were released. 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. The Port Ellen maltings survived the closure and still supply Islay.

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. 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. The long sleep concentrates the smoke and builds a lanolin, waxy texture.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. Gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke, while an elegant, structured smoke carries oily lemon, brine and a lanolin wax. It is elegant and deep, the peat folded into the malt. The finish runs oily, saline and slow. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.