Port Ellen 20 Years Old 1982 Missing (Silver Seal)

From Silver Seal comes this Port Ellen, a 20 year old Islay malt, from 1982 and bottled at 50%. A release of 270 bottles. Established in 1825 on the Kildalton shore of Islay, Port Ellen 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. Maturation in Oloroso sherry laid smoked dried fruit over the peat. By this age the peat has begun to soften, settling into the oak and the brine. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. Salt air off the Atlantic worked into the casks through long island maturation. Collectors chase these closed era bottles as some of the most prized in Scotch.

At its natural 50% it is rich and briny. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a smoky, mineral note, with a thread of vanilla from the bourbon wood. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. Salt, smoke and wax draw out the close. This is spirit from the lost years of Port Ellen, finite for good.