
October 11, 2016

Port Ellen, vertically again

After the Brora, let’s have the new Port Ellen today. We’ll even try to build an interesting wee verticale, with some middle-aged PE and some young PE from adjacent vintages. 1979-1978-1977, how does that sound? Not that we’ve never done that, I know, I know…

Port Ellen 24 yo 1979/2004 (56.8%, Signatory Vintage, cask #6773, 541 bottles)

I’ve already tried and scored this baby when it came out, but never wrote any proper tasting notes. Boohh! Colour: deep gold. Nose: some PEs could be just superb, but a little monolithic and even a tad simple, and this is a good example, so far. A peppery and tarry peat, with curious hints of venison (refill sherry?) and a very earthy coastalness, around wet beach sand and dried kelp. Something both medicinal and mustardy in the background. Couldn’t this be wasabi on sushi? Some gentian coming though after five minutes, that’s very nice. With water: very medicinal! Embrocations and old musty cellar, damp old hessian, old walnut wine… Mouth (neat): high-impact lemony/herbal peat, very singular. Lime blossom and more wasabi, earth, fresh ginger… It’s rather blade-y, I’d say. With water: gets sauvignony, as they say in the Loire Valley. Sharp and chiselled, this is almost a katana (dipped into lemon juice). It’s definitely not a very tarry PE. Finish: long and even blade-ier. Would it cut paper indeed? Comments: a pretty brilliant ultra-chiselled and very angular Port Ellen. You could count your vertebras when it goes down. SGP:467 - 91 points.

Port Ellen 37 yo 1978/2016 (55.2%, OB, Special Release, 2,940 bottles)

It was a 1983 last year (WF 92), but we’re being offered a 1978 again this year. Ooh, the ultra-punchy Rare Malts 20 and 22, remember? Colour: refreshingly golden. Nose: some say Port Ellen is/was best at around 25, and that’s not totally impossible if you ask me. This is absolutely lovable, but it may be missing of that that, say impact that younger PEs had. Around luxury cardboard (?) and cough syrup, with a little plasticine, as well as a touch of, wait, could that be sage? Verbena? A little quiet perhaps, but water may make it furious, let’s see… With water: water works very well. Seawater, first rain, hessian, and well-brewed old Pu-erh tea. But it didn’t get any more furious, after all it’s become an old lady… Mouth (neat): oh! Unexpectedly sharp and millimetric, on smoked lemon juice. I should have taken the 22 Rare Malts for due comparison today, like I did yesterday with the Brora 1972. My bad, it’s too late… With water: rather smoked brine. A little camphor as well. Finish: long, and very peaty. It did not lose its smokiness! Comments: on par with the 1979, I’d say. Careful with water. It’s a bit like those old sports cars, you dream of them, and when you drive them, you’re a tiny wee tad disappointed. Just a tiny wee tad, I’d call that the ‘E-Type effect’. But no worries Jag people, we love you. So, a truly superb old PE, for sure, but the bodywork may have become a little more flabbergasting than the engine (and no it hasn’t got any brakes). SGP:367 - 91 points.

So, the younger 1977…

Port Ellen 14 yo 1977 (59.7%, Intertrade, +/-1991)

Indeed, an Italian bottling. Colour: gold. Nose: you could not imagine a whisky that would be more austere. Nosing crushed grass and leaves. And lovage, I’ve never found this much lovage in any whisky. It’s even a little balsamic, and certainly quite leathery. With water: some kind of vegetable bouillon, more lovage, chives… Also barley wine… Certainly not the average Port Ellen. Things settle down a bit after ten minutes, it tends to become a little cleaner. Wax smoke. Mouth (neat): a round against Muhammad Ali. Hyper-punchy, but also rather oddly metallic, bitter, and actually, kind of unpleasant. Not saying Muhammad Ali was unpleasant, I wouldn’t dare. Eating grapefruit-flavoured plasticine. With water: difficult. Too paraffiny for me, too dry (and I love dryness in my whisky), and too bitter. And a little ‘chemical’ (plastic). Finish: long, bitter, hard. You just chewed leatherette. Comments: I’ve exaggerated, it’s not a very bad PE, but I think I’ve had some better ones (all that IMHO, as we used to write on thee Interweb). So much for young PE, but we all know some others had been stunning. Now the new Special Release was, comparatively, totally and utterly glorious! SGP:276 - 75 points.

(and thanks Diego S. and thanks Paul B. and Greg S.!)

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