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Port Ellen Back to Whisky Reviews
Taken over by John Ramsay in 1836, the Port Ellen Distillery was the first distillery to export its single malt to the United States. It was also the first distillery to use a spirit safe. Closed from 1929 to 1966, the distillery doubled its production capacity in 1967. It used to produce a single malt which had its own charm, with seaworthy accents, peaty and spicy. A malting was built in 1973 near the distillery. This malting is tooled up with a Saladin box. It produces malt for most of the Island distilleries, and for the Jura distillery. The distillery was closed in 1984, and has since been demolished to make way for more malting. The whisky stocks are owned by Diageo who sell limited releases each year at exorbitant prices because this is considered by many to be the finest Single Malt ever distilled … and there will never be any more Port Ellen produced. This is perhaps one of the finest whiskies in the world today … at ANY price.
Port Ellen 25 Yr 4th Release (Islay – South Shore)
Jim Murray [1] - 95 – n. Less smoky than previous release, with more emphasis on fruit, especially cinnamon sprinkled apples; t. just so, so stunning!; f. honey-vanilla and more lapping waves of peat and spice bring a gentle end to proceedings….eventually; b. ….this is almost something to a lump in the throat and a watery eye…..