Port Ellen 19 Years Old 1982 McGibbon’s Provenance (Douglas McGibbon)

Douglas McGibbon bottled this Port Ellen single malt matured to 19 year old, from 1982 and bottled at 43%. Port Ellen stood on the Kildalton shore of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was brought to a halt in 1983. Its last casks were laid down in 1983, a finite legacy ever since.

Distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding the poised, maritime smoke of classic Port Ellen. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Two decades let the phenols ease into a rounded, coastal smoke. Refill wood flatters Port Ellen, holding back the vanilla so the smoke and citrus speak. Walter Frederick Campbell laid out the village of Port Ellen in 1821. John Ramsay developed the distillery through the middle of the 19th century. The drum maltings built in 1973 still turn out barley for Islay today.

At 43% it is soft, smoky and oily. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a soft maritime smoke, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.