Port Ellen 25 Years Old 1982 Cask #2036 (Bladnoch Forum)

Bottled by Bladnoch Forum, this Port Ellen matured to 25 year old, from 1982, drawn from cask 2036 and bottled at 58.1%. A release of 638 bottles. Port Ellen stood on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen from its founding in 1825 until it was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. The stills ran once more from 2024, but this whisky predates the revival.

The barley was kilned over peat to around thirty five phenol parts per million and run through copper pot stills on soft island water, for the austere, structured peat the malt is known for. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Well past twenty years the peat has mellowed to soft embers, the malt grown waxy and elegant. Decades in oak soften the phenols, turning sharp peat reek into mellow embers.

At a hearty 58.1% it carries real weight. A graceful Islay smoke runs over lemon peel and sea brine, with a light vanilla from the refill oak. The mouthfeel is oily, the smoke carried on a waxy body. The finish smoulders gently, oily and long. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.