Port Ellen 22 Years Old 1979 Cask #5540 (Signatory)

Signatory Vintage selected this Port Ellen, aged 22 year old, from 1979, drawn from cask 5540 and bottled at 43%. A release of 849 bottles. Port Ellen stood by the sea on Islay's south shore from its founding in 1825 until it 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 Oloroso butt held it, sherry and smoke twining together. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. Refill ex-Bourbon oak, having given its sharpest notes to an earlier fill, lets the peat and the spirit lead. Long island ageing lends a saline thread to the deep smoke. The closed years only deepened the legend around the malt.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and embers of Islay peat carries salted citrus and a soft wax, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. Soft embers and brine sit behind the smoke. A long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.