1983 Port Ellen 32 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Port Ellen was a casualty of the Scotch whisky slump of the ’70s and ’80s, when sales slowed and a number of distilleries were shuttered. While Port Ellen stopped producing whisky in 1983, it’s lived on as a “ghost distillery” whose remaining stocks are being released to increasing acclaim. The new 1983 Port Ellen 32 Year […]

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1983 Port Ellen 32 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Port Ellen was a casualty of the Scotch whisky slump of the ’70s and ’80s, when sales slowed and a number of distilleries were shuttered. While Port Ellen stopped producing whisky in 1983, it’s lived on as a “ghost distillery” whose remaining stocks are being released to increasing acclaim. The new 1983 Port Ellen 32 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($3,700), part of Diageo’s Special Releases series and limited to exactly 2,964 bottles worldwide, was laid down in the distillery’s final year. More than three decades in European oak has given this peated Islay malt equal parts elegance and brawn, with lots of smoke and powerful notes of citrus, toffee, and dark fruits. We’re getting close to the end of the line for “new” Port Ellen releases, so this is one to jump on. (malts.com)