New Port Ellen Special Release and compadre

September 19, 2014

WF 10000 medal

New Port Ellen Special Release and compadre

You may remember that this year’s Brora Special Release was WF’s 10,000th review – old news, already – and since there’s no old Lagavulin this year, the only other old SR peaters this year are the obligatory Port Ellen and a Caol Ila 30 years old. Hum, not sure Diageo will like the wording ‘obligatory Port Ellen’. Anyway, let’s try that one today, beside another 1978, a rather rare one that’s not often to be seen… because our friends the Swiss seem to have quaffed it all, more or less. Grüezi!

Port Ellen 1978/2002 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Silent Stills, for World of Whisky St Moritz, cask #5347, 302 bottles)

Some sister casks haven’t been much to my liking, I had found them extremely dry and vegetal. Let’s see… Colour: white wine. Nose: well well well, it hasn’t got the immense and implacable punch that the Rare Malts 20 and 22 had, while it’s also rather un-tarry, so a bit un-PE, but on the other hand, it’s a very coastal one, with plenty of sea air, iodine, oysters and all that. Also touches of white fruits, yellow peaches, green melons, greengages, and just hints of candy sugar. A very civilised Port Ellen, fresh and clean. Too clean, perhaps? Mouth: very different. Not much Port-Ellenness either, but there is more punch, around ‘oyster juice’, pepper, ink, cardboard and then plenty of ashes. And then, once again, a little candy sugar. So I find it good, for sure, but it’s rather forgettable as a Port Ellen. Finish: rather long, a little acrid, with notes of leaves and grass. A strange touch of mustard in the aftertaste, that comes together with a little plasticine, almost plastic. Comments: indeed not all Port Ellens are/were utterly stellar. SGP:466 - 83 points.

Port Ellen 35 yo 1978/2014 (56.5%, OB, 14th Special Release, 2,964 bottles)

Let’s try to forget about the heavy price tag, and focus on the juice! After all, should you test-drive a new Ferrari, you’ll focus on the engine and the chassis (and the brakes!) more than on its price, won’t you. But is this a Ferrari or is it a badged FIAT? Let’s see… (apologies, I’m known for my very crappy car analogies, but I just can’t help.) Colour: gold. Nose: its quite brutal! At this pace, they’ll still have ‘young’ PE by 2050, unless the stocks are almost depleted indeed (which they are since around 2000 anyway, ha!) After that initial burst of alcohol and creosote, many smaller elements are falling into place, one after the other. Turpentine, eucalyptus, tincture of iodine, seaweed, almond oil, pink grapefruits, tobacco smoke, chartreuse, coal, walnuts and apples… But rather less tar than expected. With water: some very nice notes of white wine (sour) and brine, humus, fir smoke, damp wool, garden bonfire… Mouth: triple bang! It’s huge, it’s massive, it’s sharp at the same time, and it’s almost… young. Quite some smoke, a little fish oil, grapefruits and lemons, smoked tea, liquorice, kippers, green tea. A lot of lemon zest, with something rather green, pungent, tannic… Grape pips? Cider apples? Not an easy baby for sure, but it’s not a peat monster. With water: the greenness is even more obvious. Liquorice wood, grass, green apples, kippers, maybe a wee touch of chlorine (nope, I’m using my usual Vittel), grapefruits, a little salt… And bags of apple peelings. Finish: long, rather on cider apples, smoked fish… The greenness remains. I have to add I’m finding little tar in the aftertaste, just a little – better late than never! Comments: we’re very close to last year’s release, as far as I can tell, this one being maybe just a notch rougher. On the other hand, it’s a very moderately tarry PE that’s probably less ‘immediate’ than earlier versions. Oh, and quality remains very high, of course, even if I have the feeling that the Caol Ila 30 will be (even) more to my liking. Just a feeling (yeah yeah). This new PE should come out around mid-end October. SGP:366 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Port Ellen I've tasted so far