Port Ellen 27 Years Old 1982 The Nectar of the Daily Drams (Daily Dram)

Daily Dram bottled this Port Ellen single malt, a 27 year old from 1982 and bottled at 53%. Port Ellen was founded in 1825 by the sea on Islay's south shore and silenced in 1983 when Islay had one distillery too many. Its last casks were laid down in 1983, a finite legacy ever since.

Drawn off traditional pot stills fed by the Leorin Lochs, to build a smoke at once oily, briny and refined. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood holding back so the peat speaks. At this age the smoke turns gentle and oily, the spirit deep, briny and refined. Refill wood flatters Port Ellen, holding back the vanilla so the smoke and citrus speak. Collectors chase these closed era bottles as some of the most prized in Scotch. The 2024 revival rebuilt the stills, but casks like this remain from the original distillery. Few lost distilleries are mourned as deeply, or bottled as devotedly, as Port Ellen.

At its natural 53% it is rich and briny. Crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on a coastal peat smoke, with soft vanilla and a touch of coconut from the cask. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. It closes long, smoky and maritime. This is a finite pour from Islay's most mourned distillery.