Port Ellen 26 Years Old 1983 Cask #220 (Old Bothwell)

From Old Bothwell comes this Port Ellen at 26 year old, from 1983, drawn from cask 220 and bottled at 54.9%. Port Ellen was first founded in 1825 beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay and closed in 1983 and long mourned. Its last casks were laid down in 1983, a finite legacy ever since.

Made in onion shaped stills on soft Islay water, building the oily, briny style it is loved for. Refill bourbon wood held the spirit, flattering its citric, oily smoke. 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. Walter Frederick Campbell laid out the village of Port Ellen in 1821. John Ramsay developed the distillery through the middle of the 19th century. The drum maltings built in 1973 still turn out barley for Islay today.

At cask strength 54.9% it is muscular. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a soft maritime smoke, with a whisper of coconut from the cask. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a finite pour from Islay's most mourned distillery.