Port Ellen 25 Years Old 1982 Cask #2469 (BB&R)

From Berry Bros & Rudd comes this Port Ellen, aged 25 year old, from 1982, drawn from cask 2469 and bottled at 46%. Built in 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay, Port Ellen 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. An ex-Bourbon cask shaped it, soft refill oak that lets the smoke lead. Decades have eased the peat to a soft reek over beeswax and old oak. The slow loss of the angel's share, a percent or two each year, has concentrated the liquid over decades. 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.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on embers of Islay peat, with a quiet sweetness from the refill cask. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. A long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is spirit from the lost years of Port Ellen, finite for good.