Port Ellen 32 Years Old 1983 Cask #10508 (Valinch & Mallet)

Single malt Port Ellen, an independent Valinch & Mallet bottling at 32 year old, from 1983, drawn from cask 10508 and bottled at 54.1%. 201 bottles in all. Built in 1825 on Islay's southern coast near the village of Port Ellen, Port Ellen was closed in 1983 in the whisky downturn. Annual Special Releases through Diageo sealed its mythic status.

The malt was peated hard over Islay peat cut from Duich Moss, giving the elegant, structured smoke that set Port Ellen apart. The spirit was run through copper pot stills on soft island water. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for Port Ellen. Very old Port Ellen turns ethereal, the smoke faded to embers over honeyed oak. The long sleep concentrates the smoke and builds a lanolin, waxy texture. Its warehouses by the bay, built under John Ramsay, still stand as listed buildings.

Undiluted at 54.1%, it is deep and smoky. A light vanilla from the refill oak, while a gently medicinal smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. Embers and sea salt see out a long finish. This is stock from the legendary closed era, ever scarcer.