Port Ellen 18 Years Old 1982 McGibbon’s Provenance (Douglas McGibbon)

This Port Ellen was from the independent bottler Douglas McGibbon matured to 18 year old, from 1982 and bottled at 43%. 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 stills ran once more from 2024, but this whisky predates the revival.

Heavily peated malt, kilned over Islay peat, set the smoky tone 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. Past twenty years the smoke mellows and the oily, waxy texture builds. Port Ellen was matured largely in refill casks, which sharpen the smoke and leave the malt a touch austere. Each Diageo Special Release thinned a stock that could never be replaced. The maltings that survived the closure still supply barley across Islay today.

At 43% it is balanced and smoky. A briny peat smoke runs over lemon peel and sea brine, with gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke. The mouthfeel is oily, the smoke carried on a waxy body. Deep and elegant, the smoke lingers long. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.