Port Ellen 21 Years Old 1980 Special Reserve (Silver Seal)

Silver Seal bottled this Port Ellen single malt matured to 21 year old, from 1980 and bottled at 46%. 240 bottles in all. Port Ellen, first founded in 1825 by the sea on Islay's south shore, was silenced in 1983 when Islay had one distillery too many. Most of its make once went to blends, but its single malt became the prize.

Drawn off traditional pot stills fed by the Leorin Lochs, to build a smoke at once oily, briny and refined. Refill bourbon wood held the spirit, flattering its citric, oily smoke. By this age the peat has begun to soften, settling into the oak and the brine. Refill wood flatters Port Ellen, holding back the vanilla so the smoke and citrus speak. Smoke, salt and citrus mark it out from its Islay neighbours. Each bottling is a finite draw on a stock that ended in 1983. The old warehouses still hold the last of the closed era spirit.

At an approachable 46% it is refined. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on drifting Islay peat smoke, with soft vanilla and a touch of coconut from the cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. It fades on smoke, citrus and a saline tang. This is a revered Islay malt from a distillery silent for forty years.