please note this is a 2cl sample
Port Ellen DL OMC, distilled Sept. 1982 - bottled Oct. 2001 – 19y 56%
from a single sherry cask - one of 390 bottles
This is bottled at cask strength 56% instead of the prevered 50% strength.
scores:
whiskybase – 91/45
malt maniacs – 92/3
serge valentin - 90
Whiskyfun: Port Ellen 19 yo 1982/2001 (56%, Douglas Laing for Alambic Classique, 390 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: much more ‘direct’ than the 1969, less complex it seems, and much more marked by sherry. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate, then black pepper, oxtail, beef bouillon, parsley, lovage, dried meat (pemmican)… And more pepper. Also quite some gunpowder but no sulphur that I can get – as such. Very dry in any case. With water: now we get leather, tallow, game, ‘exhaust pipe’ and even Parma ham. Less sherry as such but more ‘wildness’. We like it much better now. Mouth (neat): very big and unusually fruity, contrarily to what happened on the nose. Blackcurrants. A little rubber but that gives the whole kind of an extra-kick. Peat and pepper only arrive at the middle. Grape skin. With water: excellent, more phenolic now, peaty, with notes of chewing tobacco and a little salt. Finish: rather long, coherent. Comments: and excellent swimmer that will really benefit from a few drops of water. SGP:567 – 90 points.
Great Port Ellen if you ask me, perfect combination of great peated spirit and a sherry cask. 92-93 points