Port Ellen 31 Year Old Platinum Selection

Single cask refill hogshead limited to 253 numbered bottles. Thirty-one year old Port Ellen distilled December 1979 and bottled January 2011 by Douglas Laing for the Old & Rare Platinum selection. 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.  The nose opens with a fresh and sweetly spiced style and to a softly chewed leather quality before a marzipan and milk chocolate character appears. The palate is round and mellow, richly spiced and builds to a lightly peated warming and smoky character.This all continues in the finish now with soft tar and sweet ashes revealing its Islay provenance with a mellow phenolic quality.