Port Ellen 26 Years Old 1982 Cask #DL 4709 (Douglas Laing)

A Port Ellen single malt, selected and bottled by Douglas Laing matured to 26 year old, from 1982, drawn from cask DL 4709 and bottled at 50%. Only 263 bottles were released. Port Ellen stood on the Kildalton shore of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was brought to a halt in 1983. Diageo's Special Releases turned it into a cult name.

The barley was heavily peated, dried over smoke from Islay's own peat, distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding a clean, mineral smoke with a citric lift. An ex-Bourbon cask shaped it, soft refill oak that lets the smoke lead. Long ageing leaves a mellow smoke, a lanolin wax and a maritime depth. Refill ex-Bourbon oak, having given its sharpest notes to an earlier fill, lets the peat and the spirit lead. The spirit breathed sea air through long maturation on the island. Walter Frederick Campbell laid out the village of Port Ellen in 1821.

At a natural 50% it is powerful and oily. 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.