Port Ellen 24 Years Old 1983 Cask #DMG 4107 (Douglas McGibbon)

Single malt Port Ellen, an independent Douglas McGibbon bottling matured to 24 year old, from 1983, drawn from cask DMG 4107 and bottled at 46%. Port Ellen stood on Islay's rocky southern seaboard from its founding in 1825 until it was mothballed for good in 1983. The Port Ellen maltings survived the closure and still supply Islay.

The malt was peated hard over Islay peat cut from Duich Moss, for a smoke more graceful than its Islay neighbours. The spirit was worked through copper pot stills by the sea. Maturation in a refill ex-Bourbon barrel kept the malt lean and smoky. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. The long sleep concentrates the smoke and builds a lanolin, waxy texture. 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 46% it is smooth and elegant. Gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke, while a briny peat smoke carries oily lemon, brine and a lanolin wax. It is elegant and deep, the peat folded into the malt. Deep and elegant, the smoke lingers long. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.