Duncan Taylor Unveils 1983 Port Ellen 40 Year Old
Independent bottler and blender Duncan Taylor has released a 1983 vintage Port Ellen 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky as part of its ‘Rarest Collection’ portfolio.
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.
This limited release of 209 bottles comes from cask number 667, a first-fill European Oak ex-sherry butt, and is one of the last batches of Port Ellen production – mere weeks before the distillery closed its doors in May of the same year. Distilled on March 16, 1983, cask number 667 was initially stored on Islay, until it was laid down to finish maturing in the vaults at Duncan Taylor’s HQ in Aberdeenshire in 2010. It was bottled on March 17, 2023 at 104.8 proof (52.4% ABV).
Official tasting notes for Duncan Taylor Port Ellen 40 Year Old follow:
Nose: A classic sherried Islay. Full of treacle toffee and leather mixed with bright fruity notes of blackberries and strawberries drenched in cream. A touch of zesty citrus offsets the fruity sweetness, and some dark, waxy comb honey adds depth. Some intense maritime notes of sea spray combined with kombu kelp. Mineral touches of seashore pebbles emerge with time from underneath the sherried fruits.
Palate: Very true to the nose. Dark treacle toffee and more fruits, this time more cooked than fresh. Thick and chewy texture with roasted pecan nuts to the fore. The leathery, maritime notes persist with some warming spices of cloves and caraway. The peat comes over as a distant driftwood bonfire on a salt drenched seashore. A dark, smoky, and fruity chutney balanced by a refreshing hint of spearmint. Wonderful balance with all elements in good equilibrium.
Finish: Long and seemingly everlasting. The dark bitter chocolate notes from the sherry cask persist to the last, along with some spicy toasted oak. The chewy toffee fruits continue, but now are slightly drier than on the palate. The driftwood bonfire of the peat is now reduced to some smoldering embers. Again, the balance is perfect with all elements singing in harmony.
Each bottle of Duncan Taylor Port Ellen 40 Year Old is presented in a sequentially numbered, handcrafted glass decanter with a signed certificate of authenticity.
Duncan Taylor Port Ellen 40 Year Old is available now at a suggested retail price of $7,300 for a 700 mL bottle.
Duncan Taylor.