Port Ellen 22 Years Old 1976 Cask #4756 (Signatory)

Signatory Vintage bottled this Port Ellen single malt at 22 year old, from 1976, drawn from cask 4756 and bottled at 55.9%. 348 bottles in all. Port Ellen was dating to 1825 on the Kildalton shore of Islay and brought to a halt in 1983. Most of its make once went to blends, but its single malt became the prize.

Distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding the poised, maritime smoke of classic Port Ellen. An American oak cask shaped it, lending only a light sweetness under the smoke. Long ageing leaves a mellow smoke, a lanolin wax and a maritime depth. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. Each Diageo Special Release thinned a stock that could never be replaced. The maltings that survived the closure still supply barley across Islay today. Salt air off the Atlantic worked into the casks through long island maturation.

At 55.9%, undiluted, it is bold and smoky. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on a soft maritime smoke, with a whisper of coconut from the cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a finite pour from Islay's most mourned distillery.