Port Ellen 24 Years Old 1983 Cask #DMG 4114 (Douglas McGibbon)

A Port Ellen single malt, selected and bottled by Douglas McGibbon matured to 24 year old, from 1983, drawn from cask DMG 4114 and bottled at 46%. Port Ellen stood beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was closed in 1983 and long mourned. Its reputation only grew as the casks ran down.

The barley was heavily peated, dried over smoke from Islay's own peat, made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, for a peat reek tempered by salt and citrus. Refill ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, the wood Port Ellen is most often found in. Decades have eased the peat to a soft reek over beeswax and old oak. Coastal warehousing lends a saline, maritime note as the spirit breathes by the sea. Few lost distilleries are mourned as deeply, or bottled as devotedly, as Port Ellen. The refined, citric smoke set it apart from its more medicinal Islay neighbours.

At an easy 46% it is gentle and briny. A soft maritime smoke 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 waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.