PORT ELLEN TO REOPEN IN 2023

 PORT ELLEN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Established on Islay's south coast in 1825 by A K Mackay and Co., Port Ellen is reputed to have been the first distillery to have incorporated Septimus Fox's spirit-safe design in the distillation process. Closed in 1983, Port Ellen has since become one of the most sought-after whiskies in the world. Increasingly rare, spirit produced at the distillery demonstrates some of the finest characters found on the island of Islay.

Its innovations did not stop at spirit-safe design, however. After having been taken over by the shrewd and energetic John Ramsay in 1836, Port Ellen became the first distillery to trade with North America in 1848. Ramsay secured the right to export in larger casks and store the casks in bonded warehouses prior to export, a system which persists to this day. The export of single malts in wooden barrels has been prohibited by the Scotch Whisky Association for over a decade. They may be exported only in readily sellable bottles, with full provenance.

Ramsay was a busy man, it would seem. As well as helping Robert Stein and Aeneas Coffey develop their continuous stills at his distillery, he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Islay to Glasgow steamboat service, imported Sherry and Madeira into Glasgow, was at one time the Liberal MP for Stirling and served as the chairman of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

As far as many people are concerned, Port Ellen is one of the great lost distilleries of Scotland. After John Ramsay's death, Port Ellen stayed in the hands of his family, but they sold their interest in the 1920s and it was acquired by DCL/ John Dewar & Sons in 1925. It was mothballed in 1929. No whisky was distilled at Port Ellen for almost 40 years, but it continued to operate maltings and bonded warehouses until it was re-opened in 1966-67. In 1973 a large drum malting was built that continues to supply malt to all the distilleries on Islay to this day.

In 1966 the number of stills was expanded from two to four and Port Ellen started producing whisky again in April 1967. Their four stills were initially heated by mechanical coal stokers but later the distillery switched to steam heated coils. The Port Ellen distillery was closed again in May 1983 and not long afterwards the license to distill whisky was cancelled. However, the nearby drum maltings are still used by Diageo UDV – and supplly the malted barley for a few other distilleries that belong to the group, Lagavulin, Caol Ila and Port Ellen (until the distillery was closed in 1983). Later on Port Ellen started to produce malted barley for other distilleries on Islay as well.

In fact, the factory of malted barley can be visited during the annual 'Feis Ile' whisky festival on Islay. It is interesting to 'have a look in the kitchen' where you learn that the various distilleries require different 'recipes' for their malt with different peating levels and how these demands are met.

In 1974 the old fashioned floor maltings at Port Ellen were replaced with a brand new type of installation to malt and dry barley; so-called drum maltings. These drums are fully automated installations, not unlike modern domestic washing machines.

Initially Port Ellen malted barley exclusively for Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD, a predecessor of Diageo) which owned three distilleries on Islay in the early 1970's; Port Ellen, Caol Ila and Lagavulin. The management of SMD felt that the traditional floor maltings of these distilleries couldn't produce enough malted barley cheap enough anymore. By building one single (modern) malting facility, SMD would be able to supply all three distilleries' with the malted barley they needed. With that in mind, the Port Ellen maltings facility was built in 1972.

This facility (including nine barley silos) was commissioned in 1973; the malting drums are the largest in the UK. Because the Port Ellen maltings supplied its malted barley to three Islay distilleries all malted barley was (heavily) peasted. The peat that is used at the Port Ellen maltings is harvested from Castlehill moss, which is located less than three miles from the Port Ellen distillery.

The Port Ellen maltings worked normally until the early 1980's when the whisky industry experienced a significant decline in demand. Almost two dozen distilleries (including Port Ellen) were closed in the year 1983 while others (including Caol Ila and Lagavulin) reduced their production. Due to the reduction in production it appeared doubtful whether or not the Port Ellen maltings would be able to remain active at these relatively low levels of production. Fortunately, some other distilleries on Islay and Jura agreed to start using malted barley from the Port Ellen maltings. It took a while to arrive at an 'gentleman's agreement'; the Concordat of Islay Distillers.

The local distilleries agreed to take at least a proportion of their malt from the Port Ellen maltings. In the future the maltings had to produce malt to the requirements of each individual customer. As a result, the Port Ellen maltings produce not only high peated, direct fired malt these days, but unpeated malting as well.

2001 - The first of a series of annual official releases of Port Ellen appeared on the market. In the same year the two oldest independent bottlings of Port Ellen we know of were released; the Port Ellen 31yo 1969/2001 (42.9%, Douglas Laing OMC for Alambic Germany, 41 Bts.) and the Port Ellen 31yo 1969/2001 (40%, Silver Seal, First Bottling, 156 Bts.)

One of the requirements of the Excise Act of 1824 was that distillers had to install a spirit safe, which allowed the government to monitor the production of a distillery. At the time some distillers claimed that a spirit safe might have a negative effect on the quality of the spirit. They felt that experiments with a spirit safe should be carried out - and they selected Port Ellen distillery to hold these trials.

The aforementioned Concordat of Islay Distillers is not as important as it used to be in the 1980's (due to changes in distillery ownership and senior management), but demand for malted barley from Port Ellen remains high, especially from the Lagavulin and Caol Ila malt whisky distilleries.

Port Ellen was closed in the slump of 1983, but the whisky made in the 17 or so years between its re-opening and final closure has acquired a reputation as some of the finest to have been made on Islay in that time. Following two outstandingly successful Rare Malt bottlings in 1998 and 2000, Diageo has released an official bottling of Port Ellen every year since 2001, ending at 17 editions in 2017. There have also been myriad independent bottlings, particularly from Signatory and Douglas Laing. 

Prices for Port Ellen have increased steadily over the last decade as the reputation of the distillery grows and supplies dwindle. The first official bottling from Diageo, released in 2001, has spiralled in price to around £3,000 at the time of writing, while older independent bottlings can now fetch prices up to £3,500-£4,000.

Port Ellen is a versatile malt, with considerable differences of style evident between different bottlings. Some sherry-casked Port Ellen can be beautifully rich, spicy, sweet and leathery; bourbon and refill casks often show a more austere, peppery medium-weighted style. Common characteristics, though, are a high level of peatiness and, in the best examples, a phenomenal complexity that Islay fans adore. For these reasons, Port Ellen has become one of the most sought-after of the lost distilleries by collectors, investors and aficionados.

Iconic “Lost” Distilleries To Be Revived On Islay

In 2017, Diageo issued a Press Release stating that Port Ellen and Brora, two of the most revered “lost” distilleries in the global spirits industry, were to be brought back to life in a powerful statement of confidence in the future of Scotch whisky. The distilleries, which had been silent since they were closed in 1983, were to be brought back into production through a £35 million investment by Diageo.

In the 34 years since Brora and Port Ellen were closed, the whiskies they produced have become some of the most highly prized and sought-after liquids in Scotch whisky, renowned for exceptional quality and character; elevating the ghost distilleries to cult status amongst whisky enthusiasts and collectors.

For many years whisky fans around the world have called on Diageo to reopen these closed distilleries. The decision was partly a response to those demands from existing enthusiasts but it also reflected the strong growth in the single malt Scotch market and the opportunity to create new generations of whisky consumers.

Port Ellen Distillery on the famous whisky island of Islay (and Brora on the remote eastern coast of Sutherland) would be reinstated to distill in carefully controlled quantities, with meticulous attention to detail, replicating where possible the distillation regimes and spirit character of the original distilleries. Cask filling and traditional warehousing would also be included on-site.

The new Brora and Port Ellen distilleries would be among Diageo’s smallest distilleries, capable of producing 800,000 litres of alcohol per year. They were to replicate as closely as possible the previous taste profiles of Port Ellen and Brora, with medium-peated characters at both sites.

Subject to planning permission and regulatory consents, detailed design, construction and commissioning work, it was expected the distilleries would be in production by 2020.

Unfortunately, they had not reckoned with the vicissitudes of Nature in the form of the Covid 19 pandemic that brought the world to a standstill.

The Port Ellen Distillery build is currently under the management of Alexander McDonald, an Islay resident with previous positions held in Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Caol Ila distilleries. As of today, plans are for the distillery to reopen next year, 2023.

PORT ELLEN: UNTOLD STORIES SERIES THE SPIRIT SAFE

Port Ellen released a 39 YO single malt from original, finite stocks in April 2019. This was the first exclusive release of the “Untold Stories Series” worldwide, an exploration into the innovative and trailblazing background of this iconic Islay distillery. Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe, a 39-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, was one of the oldest releases from the revered distillery. With only 1,500 bottles produced, it was available from selected luxury retailers globally. Closed over thirty years ago in 1983, set to remain silent for all time, the Port Ellen distillery is now to be reopened in 2023. While the world waits for it to start production again, only a finite amount of its original stock remains. Since 2001, the small batch releases of Port Ellen stocks in the renowned Special Releases Series from Diageo have been highly sought after. This launch marks the first global release since the Single Malt stopped being part of the yearly releases, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the finest Single Malts around the globe.                             

Distillery	Port Ellen (silent)
Series / Description	Untold Stories - The Spirit Safe
Vintage	1978
Year Bottled	2018
Age	39 years
Alcohol ABV	50.9 %
Cask Strength	Yes
Cask Wood Type	American & European Oak
Single Cask	No
Number Bottled	1500
Packaging	Wooden Box
Bottler	Distillery
Country of Origin	Scotland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl

An elegant and complex Single Malt Scotch Whisky, expertly married from a selection of ex-US Bourbon and ex-European Sherry refill casks, never before has a whisky of this age been released to the community, at a global level. Renowned for its alluring, peaty wilderness and unforgiving coastline, Port Ellen has been established as a cult whisky with unrivalled depth. This release embodies the regular smoke from the local Islay peat but comes across as slightly softer. Radiant in appearance, with exquisite beading, its smooth texture and sweet, salty then smoky taste give a complex yet balanced finish.

Setting a rare precedent for exceptional whisky since the beginning of 1825, this release is a perfect exploration of how early innovation at the distillery played a role in shaping the whisky industry as a whole. There’s an ethereal quality to Port Ellen and to the distillery itself. It is not easy to grasp what makes it so unique, but the people definitely matter. John Ramsay was an early innovator in the whisky industry, and not many people know how important Port Ellen was in the early days of the whisky industry. Through this release, Diageo hopes to give more insight into why it is so special a liquid, not just for its flavour, but for its history.

This Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe, 39-Year-Old, is an exceptional Single Malt Scotch whisky from the storied distillery on Islay. Its ground-breaking founder skillfully harnessed the island's alluring, peaty wilderness and unforgiving coastline to create a distillery which produced cult whiskies with unrivalled depth. There is regular smoke from the local peat, but this one is softer. As this release has been selected from a small number of casks, it is very different to other Port Ellen releases. Authentic in character, as it came from the casks and natural in colour, this liquid will no doubt inspire connoisseurs and collectors alike to own this once-in-a-lifetime piece of history. 

The then oldest global release of Port Ellen whisky marked the return of Port Ellen bottlings from Diageo after a long hiatus. The Untold Stories' first release, called The Spirit Safe, is a combination of ex-bourbon and ex - European sherry casks, bottled at cask strength and stated as a 39-year-old whisky. A treasured whisky from the beginning, exquisite details from the spirit safe’s traditional craftsmanship have been woven into the design of the release. Only the holders of two unique keys can unlock the precious single malt from its box. The first key unlocks the wrapping, and the second key opens the window to the bottle, beautifully telling a story of innovative spirit and industry standard setting. To add a human touch, this 39-year-old Port Ellen - the legend of single malt from Islay - is a strong, fierce choice for a power-packed, wild but equally romantic personality.

Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe was available from selected luxury retailers globally from early April 2019 onwards. In the UK (domestic), RRSP of £4,500 per 70cl bottle. Proper transactions were hampered by the pandemic.

Port Ellen Adds New 40-Year-Old Whisky to Untold Stories Series

The 40-year-old whisky was drawn from some of the last remaining casks laid down before the distillery closed.

Port Ellen introduced the second release in its Untold Stories Series. The 40-year-old single malt Scotch whisky was drawn from nine rogue casks, representing some of the last to be laid down before the distillery’s closure in 1983.

Despite closing its doors 37 years ago, the Islay distillery remains one of the most prestigious names in Scotch whisky. Owners Diageo can only work with the limited number of casks available, so releases are limited and thus highly prized by collectors. Port Ellen was distilled for just 16 of the last 90 years, and not a cask more since its closure, making the original dwindling stocks finite.

The Port Ellen 9 Rogue Casks release is no exception. There are only 1380 bottles in the world. It was presented during the (virtual) Feis Ile 2020 and is a vatting of 9 casks which were found to ‘hold unusual flavour characteristics that stood out from the typical Port Ellen distillery character’ and were deemed unsuitable for the needs of the blenders at the time. For the pedants among us, the vatting consists of these 9 ‘rogue casks’: 4 American hogsheads (#1469, #1680, #1747 en # 5176) and 5 European sherry butts (#4890, #4913, #4914, #6806 en #6816), all laid down in 1979. It represented one of the final opportunities for collectors to own a part of Port Ellen's history. It was also the final release before the distillery reopens its doors in 2023 following a £35m restoration project.

Collectors did dash to secure a piece of whisky history, but they had been forewarned not to expect a typical Port Ellen profile from the 9 Rogue Casks release. The stock was first identified in 1979 as holding unusual flavour characteristics that stood out from the distillery’s typical character.

Unsuitable for the needs of the blenders at the time, the casks were marked and set aside for further maturation and future blending. The blending came down to Dr Craig Wilson, who carefully selected the identified four American oak hogsheads and five European oak butts to create a liquid unlike anything seen from the distillery before.

The whisky was unveiled during a virtual tasting session with future master distiller Georgie Crawford. Crawford previously worked as a distillery manager for Lagavulin but left her post to oversee Port Ellen’s revitalisation. The new project will see the distillery blast back into life and lay down new casks for the first time in almost four decades.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Light tan

Nose: Surprising delicate nose on bergamot, linseed oil, almonds and walnuts, lime zest and a cold firepit (the day after). Not necessarily in that order. Each time I put my nose in the glass, it offered something different, but always very pleasant. The peat smoke is there but like a whisper. There is also a lovely, floral note. Orange blossoms. And even some peach, giving her some lovely sweetness. Very impressive. At cask strength, opens up a little with the addition of water, crème caramel/roasted coffee, red fruit compote and ripe peach skin.

Palate: Much more pronounced bonfire smoke, pipe tobacco, leather, wood spice. Wonderful! We have a winner! This Port Ellen is indeed somewhat atypical, but what a taste! This one is not only very elegant but is also sexy to boot! Delicious notes of pink grapefruit with some pepper, soft oak, lemongrass, capers, cardamom, pipe tobacco and the peel of a lime. The peat is more outspoken than on the nose, creating a lovely smokiness, while still remaining delicate. Some eucalyptus offers a fresh lift. But everything is so delineated, tight, chiselled.

Finish: In the lovely long finish I get hints of tea, lime juice, eucalyptus and a wispy smoke finish… incredibly good.

Like its predecessor ‘The Spirit Safe’, it was bottled at cask strength, and as luck would have it (?) at the exact same: 50.9%. The price is not the same though. This one has an RRP of £6,500 or some €7,000. This Port Ellen is a veritable diva. Rightfully so.

For me, this is a winner!” It is simply a fantastic and absolutely intriguing malt, that effortlessly glided into my personal top 10. And to think there are plans for a third release in the Untold Stories to celebrate the reopening of the distillery! Dream on...

PORT ELLEN MALTINGS

Peat is the magic stuff that imparts its wonderful signature flavour and aroma to many of your favourite Scotch whiskies. No type of scotch is more closely associated with a peaty profile than what’s made on the island of Islay. Behind the scenes on little ol’ Islay, one single facility is responsible for much of the peated malted barley used across the island – Port Ellen Maltings.

The name Port Ellen is an important one for whisky fans who are enamoured with the defunct distillery’s remaining whisky stocks and super-exclusive releases. (It was announced in October 2017 that Port Ellen Distillery was reopening with production to begin in 2020.) But while the distillery closed in 1983, the maltings house, which had opened in 1973, lives on. The Diageo-owned facility provides its peated malt to seven Islay distilleries.  Even the Islay distilleries who take pride in performing their own floor maltings on-site still acquire somewhere between 75 and 90 per cent of their peated malt from Port Ellen. That makes it a singularly important player in the production of Islay whisky.

From The Bog To The Maltings House

In today’s world of whisky geekdom, phenol levels as measured by PPM (phenol parts per million) are intricately tracked and debated. Of course, hundreds of years ago that was far from the case. Peat was never even originally used for flavouring at all. Rather, it was simply the abundantly available fuel which was on hand for all types of fires and heat. So when barley needed to be dried it was the logical go-to material for the job.

Luckily, despite some rumours to the contrary, there’s enough peat on Islay to last near indefinitely. “Islay will never run out of peat, it’s everywhere,” explains an exuberant Iain McArthur. He’s spent more than four decades in the industry and is today a prominent face of Lagavulin, which sources its peat from the Castlehill peat bog on Islay.

It’s easy to take McArthur at his word after seeing a peat “bank” in person. Each of these numbered lots is only 120 yards long, and each season, just two rows of peat bricks are cut down the length of that 120-yard distance. Even with dozens of numbered banks on the island, it’s hard to envision this rate of usage ever depleting Islay’s rich peat stocks.

The Different Types Of Peat

All peat isn’t the same, either. First, there’s black peat, found nearest to the water level with more oily compounds and closer to charcoal in terms of its burning qualities. Then there’s the top layer of brown peat, which has more vegetation. And then there’s the middle, called caff, more akin to soil. A mix of all three types may be used to stoke a fire.

After being cut, the peat blocks are stacked and left to air dry for six weeks. Then they’re hauled off to Port Ellen, which is actually the largest building on Islay. Within the facility is a load of appropriately mammoth machinery. Notably, there are eight 25-ton steeping tanks, along with the largest germination drums in Europe, if not the world. These monstrous cast iron beasts have enough capacity to hold two steeping tanks worth apiece.

Every two weeks, the Islay Trader vessel drops off 1,600 tons of barley to the facility, predominantly Concerto. This is due to its high starch levels and therefore high distillation output. A multi-phase steeping process brings the moisture content of the barley up to 45% over a period of approximately 42 hours.

It’s then transferred to those germination tanks, where they’re left for approximately 100 hours to begin germinating, with the white chit emerging from each individual grain. Then it’s time to cut off that germination – we’re here to drink whisky, not sow fields – and that’s where the peat finally comes into play.

                         

Enter The Peat

“This is Islay,” says Colin Gordon, the site operations manager, as he unveils the kilning room at Port Ellen. Orange embers of peat are busy sending wafts of smoke to a chimney, the barley above and within awaiting to soak up all of its lovely essences.

Port Ellen kilns six tons of peat per batch, and they complete about 11 batches per week. They’re essentially maxed out on their production with a 24/7 cycle.

The first step of the kilning process is known as the low burn, lasting for 16 hours. Flavour is the name of the game here, not drying. That’s why it’s also called “free drying” because it’s more of a byproduct than a goal. This is the only time when peat is actually utilised, as after this period the barley is not actually able to further absorb phenol compounds. The second phase, known as “force drying,” lasts for a further 14 hours, and this is where higher heat is used to purposefully dry out the barley.

Controlling PPM Levels

What controls the actual PPM level is essentially the ratio of peat to barley. More time doesn’t impart higher PPMs, because as mentioned, there’s a finite period where the barley accepts the compounds. Therefore, it comes down to controlling that peat: barley ratio. Further, fresh-cut peat is known to provide the most phenols.

On a batch-to-batch basis, it may be impossible to produce an exact PPM level. As such, they measure the result after the process and may combine and blend with different batches.

Each brand provides its own specifications to Port Ellen. For instance, the sister distilleries of Lagavulin and Caol Ila each get the same exact peated malt, looking for PPM levels in the mid-30s. They may tweak a weekly order though based on what they’re actually seeing in the spirit after distillation.

So the next time you eagerly raise a dram of your favourite Islay whisky, take a moment to appreciate the journey that peat went on before it reaches your glass.

The next article also deals with peat but in a different manner. You’ll get a dekko into the highest-peated Scotch Single Malt whiskies in the market.