Port Ellen 20 Years Old 1982 Missing (Silver Seal) (40%)

Silver Seal selected this Port Ellen, a 20 year old from 1982 and bottled at 40%. Just 120 bottles were filled. The legendary Port Ellen, built in 1825 by the sea on Islay's south shore, was silenced in 1983 when Islay had one distillery too many. Diageo's Special Releases turned it into a cult name.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, drawn off traditional pot stills fed by the Leorin Lochs, for the refined smoke that made its name. An ex-Bourbon cask shaped it, soft refill oak that lets the smoke lead. Two decades let the phenols ease into a rounded, coastal smoke. Refill ex-Bourbon oak, having given its sharpest notes to an earlier fill, lets the peat and the spirit lead. The refined, citric smoke set it apart from its more medicinal Islay neighbours. Laid down before 1983, this is spirit from a distillery that stood silent for forty years. Its cult grew with every passing year the warehouses stayed quiet.

At 40% it is supple and elegant. A coastal peat smoke carries salted citrus and a soft wax, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. Soft embers and brine sit behind the smoke. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a rare survivor of the 1983 closure.