Port Ellen (1982) - Malts of Scotland
It's not every day that you get the chance to taste a 1982' Port Ellen (with no further age statement). So we are all the more delighted to be able to taste such a special dram. The distillery has not produced whisky since 1983, and a reopening is planned for this year. Getting hold of bottlings - especially at reasonable prices - is almost impossible at the moment.
The panel
Mean 93.0 · spread 4
Value for money 0/5
- Distillery
- Port Ellen
- Bottler
- Malts of Scotland
- Type
- Single Malt
- Region
- Isle of Islay
- Country
- Scotland
- Strength
- 58.1% ABV
- Character
- peaty
Tasting
Nose
We are sitting in a small old wooden hut by the sea on an old leather sofa with a view of the Port Ellen distillery on the island of Islay in Scotland. In front of us is a buffet of dried dates wrapped in bacon, figs, sea asparagus and some good German wholemeal bread, which smells wonderful. It is accompanied by salted caramel and chocolate-coated coffee beans. A gentle sea breeze blows through the open window and light smoke from the campfire with paprika, stick bread and smoked bacon.
Palate
We reach for the bowl with a varied mix of red berries, which are fruity, sweet and quite creamy. A few berries taste a little strange. They are the redcurrants - they must have been lying in ashes from an old barbecue. A mill with white pepper and a salt mill are on the table, probably for the peppers on the skewers by the campfire. The mills certainly won't be for our mint and herb tea. Now we are served the smoked bacon - it goes surprisingly well with mint tea. It starts to rain outside.
Finish
The campfire extinguishes. Woody and ashy flavours linger for a long time, slightly musty from the rain and yet dusty and dry.
Verdicts
Marcel
This Port Ellen 1982 is an unforgettable dance between smoky power and deep, fruity notes – a true fireworks display for the senses that leaves you wanting more. If you don’t enjoy this, maybe you should give whisky another try. A genuine experience that shows just how much character a single dram can hold!
Sascha
The Port Ellen 1982 impresses with its balanced combination of intense cask strength and complex maturation, delivering a precisely structured aroma profile that blends smoky and fruity facets. Despite its power, it feels surprisingly harmonious and multi-layered, making it a benchmark for high-quality Islay whiskies.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Port Ellen as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £1002 across 125 lots · 2024-08