Port Ellen 30 Years Old 1982 Cask #2031 (Wilson & Morgan)

Single malt Port Ellen, an independent Wilson & Morgan bottling, a 30 year old from 1982, drawn from cask 2031 and bottled at 57.7%. Only 420 bottles were released. Port Ellen stood on the windswept south of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was shut by DCL in 1983. Annual Special Releases through Diageo sealed its mythic status.

The malt was peated hard over Islay peat cut from Duich Moss, giving a coastal smoke threaded with lemon. The spirit was distilled in copper pot stills with water from the lochs. Maturation in a refill ex-Bourbon barrel kept the malt lean and smoky. Long ageing leaves a mellow smoke, a lanolin wax and a maritime depth. The peat phenols fade only slowly, which is why even very old Port Ellen keeps its smoke. Three Islay distilleries proved one too many, and this was the one to close. Its smoke leans citric and mineral rather than tarry and medicinal.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.7%, it is intense. Gentle oak vanilla beneath the smoke, while an elegant, structured smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. The finish runs oily, saline and slow. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.