The 17th Port Ellen Special Release, distilled in 1979 and bottled in 2017 at 37 years old. Drawn entirely from American oak, it was bottled at 51% ABV in a numbered edition of 2,988 bottles.
About This Whisky
This edition married refill American oak hogsheads with refill American oak butts, all filled in 1979. With no European oak in the mix, the spirit's own character does most of the talking: citrus, wax, brine and a gentle earthy smoke rather than dried fruit. It was bottled at natural strength of 51% and released in 2017, the same year Diageo announced plans to rebuild the distillery.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Lemon and green apple, damp earth, herbal peat and a salty, coastal lift.
- Palate: Elegant and layered, with sweet orchard fruit, malt, pepper and soft maritime smoke over old oak.
- Finish: Long and smoky, with salt, citrus peel and a quiet earthy note at the very end.
Serving & Food
Serve neat at cellar or room temperature in a copita or tulip, and try it again after adding a teaspoon of water. It works well with crab claws, lightly smoked trout, or a slice of mature Gouda.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers who prefer the brighter, fruit-and-citrus side of Port Ellen, and anyone completing a set of the later Special Releases.
Product Details
Distillery: Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland
Series / Release: Diageo Special Releases, 17th Release, bottled 2017
Vintage / Age: Distilled 1979, 37 years old
Cask: Refill American oak hogsheads and refill American oak butts
Outturn: 2,988 bottles
ABV: 51%
Volume: 750mL
Origin: Scotland
About the Distillery
Diageo began bottling Port Ellen as an annual Special Release in 2001, with a 22-year-old from 1979 stock. Each autumn after that brought another edition, usually at cask strength and a little older than the one before, drawn from a stock that could never be replaced because the distillery had been silent since 1983. Over the years the releases moved between the 1978, 1979 and 1983 vintages. Taken together they tell a slow story of how the same Islay spirit changes through its twenties and thirties, and many drinkers compare them side by side.