Port Ellen 1981 - The Recollection Series #2 "Private Collection" G&M, 700ml
The ‘Private Collection’ features a truly exceptional and unique range of greatly aged single malts from a mixture of celebrated, little-known, and now closed distilleries across Scotland.
Port Ellen 1981 was matured in a Refilled Sherry Butt and bottled from cask #290 at 52.5% ABV in 2023. It was bottled under the Private Collection Series and the Recollection Series #2.
Only 181 hand-blown crystal decanters have been produced.
Time is, in many ways, a great leveller and allows one to reflect on the past with a sense of perspective. When considering Port Ellen, Islay’s undisputed lost classic, had those in authority been able to search into the future before finally taking the decision to close the distillery back in 1983 due to economic issues, then maybe the distillery would still be producing its characterful single malt for a new generation of whisky drinkers.
Despite its closure, a small number of casks are still maturing away and today, Port Ellen has a extra special reverence reserved for it. It exudes a refined elegance unlike any other Islay malt: aromas of chamois leather, lemon zest and cracked black pepper mix with a heady phenolic smoke, to produce a whisky, which many connoisseurs consider to be one of the finest ever bottled. Truly a lost classic, never to be repeated.
Nose: Dark chocolate aromas complement ginger and cinnamon spice. Blackcurrant gives way to medjool dates and sweet vanilla pod.
Palate: Rich fruitcake flavours lead to baked apples and rich, sweet smoke. Peanut brittle comes to the fore alongside dark cherry and spicy pepper
Finish: Long and full finish with lasting dried fruit and bonfire embers