Port Ellen 21 Years Old 1982 Cask #DL 414 (Douglas Laing)

Douglas Laing bottled this Port Ellen single malt at 21 year old, from 1982, drawn from cask DL 414 and bottled at 50%. Just 420 bottles were filled. Port Ellen, dating to 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, was closed in 1983 and long mourned. Its last casks were laid down in 1983, a finite legacy ever since.

Made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, building the oily, briny style it is loved for. An Oloroso butt held it, sherry and smoke twining together. 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. 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.

At cask strength 50% it is muscular. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a coastal peat smoke, with soft vanilla and a touch of coconut from the cask. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a revered Islay malt from a distillery silent for forty years.