Port Ellen Private Stock MoS (Malts of Scotland)

Malts of Scotland bottled this Port Ellen single malt, drawn from cask MoS-PS001 and bottled at 57.2%. 104 bottles in all. Established in 1825 on the Kildalton shore of Islay, Port Ellen was brought to a halt in 1983. Most of its make once went to blends, but its single malt became the prize.

Distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills on Leorin Lochs water, yielding the poised, maritime smoke of classic Port Ellen. An Oloroso butt held it, sherry and smoke twining together. Without an age statement, the peat sits soft and the malt feels well aged. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. Laid down before 1983, this is spirit from a distillery that stood silent for forty years. Its cult grew with every passing year the warehouses stayed quiet.

At a hearty 57.2% it carries real weight. The Oloroso brings smoked fig, raisin and walnut, and crystallised lemon and a salty tang ride on a smoky, mineral note, with a thread of vanilla from the bourbon wood. A crystallised lemon and a saline tang lift the smoke. Salt, smoke and wax draw out the close. This is spirit from the lost years of Port Ellen, finite for good.