Port Ellen 36 Years Old 1980 Cask #RO/16/05 (G&M)

Gordon & MacPhail bottled this Port Ellen single malt matured to 36 year old, from 1980, drawn from cask RO/16/05 and bottled at 46%. The outturn was 275 bottles. Port Ellen stood beside the bay at Port Ellen on Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was 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. Three decades and more leave a fragile, elegant smoke and a deep waxy body. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. A whisky measured now in dwindling casks rather than fresh spirit. Smoke, salt and citrus mark it out from its Islay neighbours. Each bottling is a finite draw on a stock that ended in 1983.

At an easy 46% it is gentle and briny. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a soft maritime smoke, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. This is a collectable relic of a cult Islay name.