Port Ellen 24 Years Old 1975 Cask #1763 (Signatory)

Signatory Vintage selected this Port Ellen, a 24 year old from 1975, drawn from cask 1763 and bottled at 43%. Only 396 bottles were released. The legendary Port Ellen, established in 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, was closed in 1983 and long mourned. It became the most lamented of all the lost distilleries.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, for a peat reek tempered by salt and citrus. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. Time in the cask rounds the spirit, the smoke settling into a soft, waxy depth. The old warehouses still hold the last of the closed era spirit. Port Ellen was one of three Diageo Islay distilleries, the one judged surplus in 1983. Its warehouses by the bay, built under John Ramsay, still stand as listed buildings.

At 43% it is soft, smoky and oily. A coastal peat smoke carries salted citrus and a soft wax, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. Soft embers and brine sit behind the smoke. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a rare survivor of the 1983 closure.