Port Ellen 24 Year Old 1982 Douglas of Drumlanrig

In 2014 – an eternity ago in my experience – I already tasted a Port Ellen that was bottled by Douglas or Drumlanrig . However, it was a 27-year-old from 1983, bottled in 2010. The one that is now in the glass was distilled a year earlier and bottled three years earlier. It is therefore slightly younger and yet it is at a much lower ABV (49% compared to the 54.8% of the other bottling). Strange. Anyway, let's just start tasting right away, because you don't get Port Ellen in the glass every day.

Soft maritime nose with especially a lot of apples and lemon. A bit mineral too, but in all honesty on the soft side and relatively little pronounced. Subtle. Nevertheless very tasty.

Nice and oily and immediately a battle between salty and sweet. Sweet wins it easily with apples, lemon and vanilla. The smoke development seems to become quite big, but calms down midpalate. And then the salty touch suddenly comes on strong and the sweet fruit slides aside. Another note of walnuts and a drop of honey come to mind. This is much better than the nose promised.

The finish is nice and long, starts sweet and smoky, then goes back down the salty road, and finally gently melts away on honey and salty sea air.

Very pleasant PE and the low alcohol percentage does not bother at all (and it is much better than the 27-year-old I tasted earlier). You are still able to find it, but you can easily pay 850 EUR for it. Thanks for the sample, Wouter!

Find where to buy Port Ellen whisky