Port Ellen 27 Year Old 1978 Old & Rare

Port Ellen 27 Year Old 1978 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single sherry butt expression of the lost Scottish distillery. Bottled 2006 by Douglas Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare Platinum series. 396 numbered bottles. Port Ellen Port Ellen Distillery was established by Alexander K. Mackay on the southern coast of the Isle of Islay at Port Ellen in 1825. Port Ellen was a malt whisky distillery but closed in 1983 and whilst the distillery buildings remain Port Ellen drum maltings occupy part of the site and participates in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Festival of Malt and Music. Most recent official bottling of Port Ellen single malt whisky was the Port Ellen 11thRelease. During the winter of 1823-24 James Fox tested his newly designed spirit safe at Port Ellen Distillery prior to its introduction in all Scottish licenced distilleries by 1825 in order to comply with enactment of the Excise Act of 1823. Thus Port Ellen Distillery was the first Scottish distillery to install a spirit safe and James Fox was paid £428 for his work.  Robustly and distinctly sherried on the nose, it is only on 'opening' that its salty and maritime heritage is revealed, so what a surprise on the palate when the phenolic qualities of Islay impact massively, combined with ginger and all manor of tongue-tingling spices together with the sherry frutifeousness. The finish is long, smoky and spicy, with the typical Port Ellen leathery characteristics.