Port Ellen 9th Release

An official Port Ellen single malt matured to 30 year old, from 1979 and bottled at 57.7%. A release of 5916 bottles. Port Ellen stood on the windswept south of Islay from its founding in 1825 until it was shut by DCL in 1983. The Port Ellen maltings survived the closure and still supply Islay.

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. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood holding back so the peat speaks. Well past twenty years the peat has mellowed to soft embers, the malt grown waxy and elegant. The peat phenols fade only slowly, which is why even very old Port Ellen keeps its smoke. Its cult grew with every passing year the warehouses stayed quiet. The closed era spirit is finite, and every bottle drawn is one fewer left.

At 57.7%, undiluted, it is bold and smoky. A light vanilla from the refill oak, while a graceful Islay smoke carries brine, wax and a mineral edge. A lanolin wax and a coastal salinity give it real weight. The finish smoulders gently, oily and long. This is prized stock from a distillery reborn only in 2024.