Port Ellen 18 Years Old 1981 The Old Malt Cask (Douglas Laing)

Bottled by Douglas Laing, this Port Ellen, an 18 year old Islay malt, from 1981 and bottled at 50%. The outturn was 444 bottles. The legendary Port Ellen, established in 1825 on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen, was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. Diageo reopened the distillery in 2024, though stock like this comes from the original era.

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. An Oloroso sherry cask wrapped the smoke in dried fruit and a nutty depth. 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.

Undiluted at 50%, it is deep and smoky. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and an elegant, structured smoke runs over a waxy, briny lift, with a gentle vanilla note. The texture is oily and coating, the smoke threaded with sea salt. The finish runs oily, saline and slow. This is one of the great ghost whiskies of Islay.