Port Ellen 28 years 1979 - 2007 7th Release

Port Ellen was founded in 1825 as a malt house and then developed into a distillery from 1833 to 1892 under the leadership of John Ramsay. The warehouses he built are still listed. The distillery was taken over by the Distillers Company Limited in 1925, closed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1966/1967. Production continued through the 1970s and closed in 1983, although single malt whisky is still available. When Port Ellen closed in 1983, Diageo demolished some of the buildings, reused others and destroyed the stills.

Origin and bottling

Distilled in 1979 and finally bottled in the year 2007 after a 28-year maturation. This is the 7th edition from the Annual Release series. Only 5274 bottles were eventually released, making it very exclusive.

Cask type

For this 7th Release, it is not clear what type of cask it was matured in, but it is expected to be a combination of Refill Sherry Casks and Refill American Bourbon Casks. This release is bottled at natural cask strength of 53.8%

Tasting note

Colour

Straw yellow

Nose

The aroma is best described as brine and seaweed. Lovely hospital air with distinct peat aromas. Fresh fruit notes also emerge from the glass. Hints of menthol, but also the smell that hangs around a farm when the sheep are sheared. 

Taste

The barnyard character is also reflected in the flavour. Obviously smoky, port, diesel and other rough flavours. Full of spice and every sip you are treated to new flavours. Vanilla, smoky tea, nice sweet, sour, bitter balance and just a flavour befitting Port Ellen

Finish

The finish is relatively fresh. Smoky vanilla and citrus linger on the palate.

Overall impression

Classic. This is what you expect with Port Ellen and this is what you get.

This Port Ellen 7th Release has an average score of 91.42/100 points on WhiskyBase

Limited Edition Bottle No. 0224 (Please note the packaging has some stains on the label)

Read Serge Valentin's tasting note on his website www.WhiskyFun.com here.

He rated this Single Malt Whisky with 92/100 points.