Port Ellen 8th Release 29 Year Old Single Malt

Détails techniques

La distillerie

Port Ellen

Port Ellen Distillery was founded in 1825 in the small eponymous harbour town on the southern shore of Islay, Scotland’s most celebrated whisky island. Operating for over 150 years, it became known for producing richly peated, coastal single malts with a distinctively oily, complex and medicinal character that set it apart even among Islay’s formidable cohort. The distillery was silent by 1983, converted thereafter into a large malting facility that continues to supply phenolic malt to much of Islay to this day. In the decades following its closure, Port Ellen’s reputation grew from celebrated to legendary, and it is now widely regarded as one of the great lost distilleries of Scotland. Plans to reopen Port Ellen as an active distillery were announced in 2017, adding a new chapter to a story already steeped in collector mythology.

Cette expression

The Port Ellen 8th Release forms part of Diageo’s long-running annual Special Releases programme, which has offered collectors a singular window into the distillery’s dwindling post-closure casks. Distilled in 1978 and bottled in 2008 at a robust cask strength of 55.3% ABV, this 29-year-old expression was limited to 6,618 bottles. It represents one of the most sought-after entries in the annual series, combining remarkable age, an impeccable vintage year and the full transparency of natural cask strength — qualities that have cemented its place among Islay’s most coveted collectors’ bottlings.

Profil de dégustation

No independently verified tasting notes for this exact bottling are available in our reference sources; the following reflects the well-documented house character of Port Ellen at comparable age and cask strength. The colour is a deep burnished gold with amber highlights, reflecting nearly three decades of maturation in traditional oak. On the nose, classic Islay peat smoke unfolds alongside briny sea air, dried kelp and medicinal iodine, layered with notes of lemon zest, beeswax and vanilla. With time in the glass, sweeter elements emerge — dried apricot, salted caramel and a whisper of tar. The palate is full-bodied and oily, with powerful phenolic smoke balanced by citrus oil, stewed stone fruit and cracked black pepper. The finish is exceptionally long, dry and maritime, leaving trails of smoked wood, sea salt and gentle ash that linger for minutes after the last sip.

Provenance et authentification

Wines & Spirits SA sources this exceptional Port Ellen directly from certified, reputable suppliers operating within established whisky trade channels. Each bottle is stored in a dedicated climate-controlled cellar in Eclepens, Switzerland, maintained at 14°C and 70% relative humidity to ensure optimal preservation of condition and value. Given the extreme rarity and age of silent-distillery releases such as this 8th Release, full authenticity verification is applied to every acquisition before a bottle enters inventory.

Contexte du collecteur

Port Ellen occupies a singular position in the global whisky secondary market. As a permanently silent distillery with finite cask stocks, every official release carries inherent scarcity. The 8th Release, limited to 6,618 bottles and now well over a decade from its 2008 bottling date, commands serious attention from collectors worldwide. Official Diageo Special Releases from Port Ellen have consistently appreciated on the secondary market as accessible stock contracts year by year. Documented, unbroken provenance — including verified storage history — plays an increasingly decisive role in determining both authenticity and realised value at auction and in private sales.

Accords avec les aliments

Serve the Port Ellen 8th Release 29 year old neat in a tulip-shaped nosing glass, allowing ten minutes of rest after pouring to let the full aromatic complexity of this cask strength Islay malt unfold. A single small drop of still water may open the palate further. Pair with cold-smoked Scottish salmon on dark rye bread, where the brine and fat mirror the whisky’s coastal smoke and oily depth.