Description

A 25 year old Port Ellen whisky. Bottled at cask strength by Diageo under their Special Releases series. Distilled in 1978, it was then aged for 25 years, before being bottled in 2004. The smallest release out of the first 4 releases, a run of just 5100 bottles. This is bottle number 4893. The Port Ellen Distillery was closed and partly demolished in 1983. This is a true classic from a long-lost distillery.

Colour: pale gold.

Nose:
Salt, tar, like a marina walk, smoke, salt liquerice. Maybe a touch of peanut butter in there somewhere? Touch of caramelised oranges. Cooling, citrus, minerals, minty, salmiac. Some stone fruit with time acually, sweet bleberrries as well, great and very well integrated.

Taste:
1st sip a bit overpowering. Next sip more calm, lemons, herbal, smoked ham. Slightly creamy texture. Citrus is more into bitter oranges now. White pepper and salmiac.  Hangs around on the back of the tongue and down the sides of the palate for simply ages.

Finish:
Long. Salt liquerice, salmiac, green spices / herbs, minerals, bitter oranges for sure, almost grapefruit. Blueberries are back towards the end. Long, very long indeed.