Port Ellen 23 Years Old 1983 Cask #DMG 3229 (Douglas McGibbon)

From Douglas McGibbon comes this Port Ellen, a 23 year old Islay malt, from 1983, drawn from cask DMG 3229 and bottled at 46%. The legendary Port Ellen, established in 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, was closed in 1983 and long mourned. Most of its make once went to blends, but its single malt became the prize.

Made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, building the oily, briny style it is loved for. Refill bourbon wood held the spirit, flattering its citric, oily smoke. Well past twenty years the peat has mellowed to soft embers, the malt grown waxy and elegant. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. A whisky measured now in dwindling casks rather than fresh spirit. 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 46% it is supple and elegant. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on embers of Islay peat, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. A long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is a rare survivor of the 1983 closure.