The 15th Port Ellen in Diageo's annual Special Releases, distilled in 1983 and bottled in 2015 at 32 years old and a cask strength of 53.9% ABV. It was the first release in the series drawn from 1983 spirit, the distillery's final year, after a long run of 1978 and 1979 vintages.
About This Whisky
The 15th Release was taken from refill European oak butts filled in 1983, which gives it a darker, more sherried cast than most earlier editions. Many who tasted it picked up an oily, leathery, tobacco-tinged character alongside the classic lemony, flinty Port Ellen edge. It was bottled at natural strength in an individually numbered edition of 2,964 bottles.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dates and raisins at first, then lemon peel, wet flint, tobacco leaf and soft peat smoke.
- Palate: Thick and oily, with fruit cake, lemon tart, ash and a savoury, almost meaty richness.
- Finish: Very long, drying through smoked dates and liquorice to lingering ashy peat.
Serving & Food
Let a small pour sit in a tulip glass for ten minutes or so and taste it at full strength before adding any water. Save it for the end of a meal, with oatcakes and aged Comté, a few smoked almonds, or plain dark chocolate.
How to Enjoy
Islay enthusiasts tracing the Port Ellen Special Releases from year to year, and anyone marking a 1983 anniversary.
Product Details
Distillery: Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland
Series / Release: Diageo Special Releases, 15th Release, bottled 2015
Vintage / Age: Distilled 1983, 32 years old
Cask: Refill European oak butts
Outturn: 2,964 bottles
ABV: 53.9%
Volume: 750mL
Origin: Scotland
About the Distillery
Port Ellen stopped distilling in 1983, when its owners, the Distillers Company, cut back capacity across Islay. The stills went quiet, but the site kept going in another form. Its large drum maltings, opened in the 1970s, carried on working and still supply malted barley to many of the island's distilleries, so the Port Ellen name stayed part of daily life on Islay even while no spirit ran. What remained in the warehouses was a fixed stock of casks, and every official bottling since has drawn down that reserve.