Duncan Taylor Unveils A Rare Port Ellen Bottling

Negociant company Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd, has added a new installment to its ‘Rarest Collection’ – a Port Ellen 40-year-old single malt whisky from March 16, 1983. Available globally, this limited release of 209 bottles comes from cask number 667, one of the last batches of Port Ellen production, made mere weeks before the distillery closed its doors for the last time in May of the same year.

As worldwide demand for smoky and peated malts has surged, Port Ellen, a cult whisky among collectors, has become one of the rarest, most iconic and sought after whiskies around the globe. Founded by Alexander Kerr Mackay in 1825 on Islay’s southern coast, Port Ellen was named after the nearby town and became an innovator in the whisky industry with great success exporting to the United States. Impacted by Prohibition, the distillery initially fell silent in 1930 for 37 years. It was then resurrected in 1967 due to the demand for peated whisky when it expanded from two to four stills. However, Distillers Company Limited, who owned Port Ellen from 1925, closed its doors in 1983.

To capture the zeitgeist of today’s global phenomenon, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky delved into its impressive and extensive archives to release this first fill sherry cask 40-year-old single malt, which is a veritable time capsule of Port Ellen’s early 1980s releases.  At 104.8 proof the liquid was matured in a European Oak ex-sherry butt, with the cask initially stored on Islay, until it was laid down to finish maturing in the vaults at Duncan Taylor’s HQ in Aberdeenshire in 2010. Each hand-finished decanter is sequentially numbered with a signed certificate of authenticity.  The Scottish firm last released a Port Ellen back in 2013.

“When I bought the company from Abe Rosenberg’s family back in 2001, the inventory was incredible with some amazing rare and old whiskies.” commented Chairman Euan Shand.  “The casks of Port Ellen were ones that really stood out for me as something special and we’ve patiently waited for them to mature, bringing that rich, dark color to the liquid. The cask created an evocative whisky that embraces the peat from the kilns and the brine of the sea, alongside a succulent rich fruity base. It’s one of the finest whiskies we’ve launched this year.”

With a RRP of $7,300 for a 700ml bottle, the Port Ellen 40-year-old is available for special order at finegoodspirits.com and other US retailers.