Port Ellen 28 Year Old Sherry Cask

Old & Rare Platinum selection. Single sherry butt twenty-eight year old Port Ellen from the final year of distillation at lost Islay distillery. Distilled March 1983 and bottled October 2011. 227 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.  Opens with a spicy, leather character and runs to nuts, dried fruit and a light ashy style. Initially the palate is round and mellow with flames/burnt orange peel before rich smoke develops with a burned polished wood style. The finish is LONG with ashes – soft tar – salty liquorice – sweet peat smoke going on and on…