Port Ellen 27 Years Old 1983 Private Stock (The Whisky Agency)

The Whisky Agency selected this Port Ellen, a 27 year old from 1983 and bottled at 55.6%. 96 bottles in all. Port Ellen stood on the Kildalton shore of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was brought to a halt in 1983. Its reputation only grew as the casks ran down.

Peat smoke from Islay's bogs dried the malt to its smoky pitch, distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding a clean, mineral smoke with a citric lift. An Oloroso butt held it, sherry and smoke twining together. Long ageing leaves a mellow smoke, a lanolin wax and a maritime depth. Coastal warehousing lends a saline, maritime note as the spirit breathes by the sea. 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 55.6% it is powerful and oily. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and embers of Islay peat 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 long, briny finish smoulders to the end. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.