Port Ellen

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > P

PORT ELLEN

over 19 years old

43 %
THE MC GlBBON's PROVENANCE
SPRING DISTILLATION
Distilled Spring 1982
Bottled Spring 2001
No Colouring
Not Chill Filtered
Douglas McGibbon & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
6 years old
43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 11.11.77
Bottled 10.94
Cask no. 5559
425 bottles
Van Wees, Holland

PORT ELLEN
16 years old
43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 16.1.79
Bottled 10.95
Cask no. 304
380 bottles
Van Wees, Holland
Water: Leorin Loch

PORT ELLEN
17 years old
43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 6/8/80
Bottled 24/11/97
Cask bo. 89/589/28
The Ultimate Whisky Company N.L.

PORT ELLEN
20 years old
60.90 %
RARE MALTS SELECTION
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled 1978
Bottled October 1998
Limited Edition
Genummerde flessen
Low Robertson & Co, Edinburgh.
Built in 1825 by the sea on Islay's south coast, Port Ellen is now sadly closed. Though its maltings live on, its malt is rarely seen.

PORT ELLEN
22 years old
60.50 %
RARE MALTS SELECTION
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled 1978
Bottled October 2000
Limited Edition
Genummerde flessen
Low Robertson & Co, Edinburgh.

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1975
43%
SIGNATORY 2000
SIGNATORY MILLENNIUM EDITION
24 years old 43 %
Distilled on 8th April 1975
Bottled on 30th September 1999
Cask No. 1764
355 bottles
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1976
58%
Distilled 28.9.76
Bottled 13.1.2000
Cask No. 4762
258 bottles
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1975
43%
24 years old
Distilled 13.8.75
Bottled 13.5.99
Cask No. 1754
362 bottles
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
10 years old
43 %
(1983 - 1993) Stenen kruik
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
22 years old
59,2 %
SILENT STILLS
Distilled 30.11.74
Bottled 15.5.97
Cask No. 6754
260 bottles
Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
10 years old
43 %
SCOTTISH WILDLIFE
Otter (Lutra lutra)
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
A member of the weasel family, the otter is rarely seen now except in deserted coastal areas and off-shore islands, mainly in Scotland.

PORT ELLEN
18 years old
56,3 %
SILENT STILLS
DistilledThis pale gold 20 year old starts with arousing, salty aromas and some seaweed on the nose. The smooth bodied style, sweetly flowery flavours and very peppery, salt—smoked long finish make it a warming after dinner companion. 16.1.79

Bottled 29.10.97
Cask No. 274
190 bottles
Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
11 years old
59,5%
Date distilled Mar 83
Date bottled Sept 94
Society Cask No. code 43.9
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
10 years old
64 %
CADENHEAD'S
AUTHENTIC COLLECTION
LAST BOTTLE & EMPTY
150th Anniversary bottling
Distilled April 1981
Bottled March 1992
No Chill Filtration
No additives
No Colouring
Wm. Cadenhead, 32 Unionstreet, Campbeltown

PORT ELLEN
19 years old
40%
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distilled 1982
Bottled 2001
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
1977 22 years old
52,5 %
SCOTT's SELECTION
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled in the year 1977
Bottled in the year 1999
Undiluted
Robert Scott & Co, Rutherglen

PORT ELLEN
22 years old
56,2%
ANNUAL SPECIAL BOTTLING
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled 1979
Bottled 2001
Genummerde flessen
Limited Edition of only 6000 bottles
Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay
This individually numbered bottle of rare 22 year old Port Ellen comes from a limited release of one of the final year's distillations of this now sadly closed Islay distillery.

PORT ELLEN
24 years old
58,8%
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
STRAIGHT FROM THE CASK
BURGUNDY FINISH
Finished in a Burgundy Cask
Cask No. 03/332/1
Distilled on: 9th Aug 1979
Bottled by Hand on: 20th Jan 2004
425 Bottles
500 ml Bottles
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
16 years old
40 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distilled 1974
Bottled 1991
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macpahil, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
15 years old
40 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distilled 1977
Bottled 1992
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macpahail, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
19 years old
40 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distilled 1980
Bottled 1999
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macpahil, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
18 years old
40 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distilled 1981
Bottled 1999
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
1979
19 years
61.1%
CASK Strenght
Natural High Strenght
Distilled 11/12/79
Bottled July 1998
Cask No. 7238 - 7239
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

PORT ELLEN
25 years old
50%
THE OLD MALT CASK 50o
Single Cask Bottling
Distilled March 1976
Bottled April 2001
522 bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
23 years old
50%
THE OLD MALT CASK 50o
A Single Cask Bottling
Distilled January 1978
Bottled September 2001
Finished in Sherry Wood, 6 months minimum
764 bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
21 years old
50%
THE OLD MALT CASK 50o
Single Cask Bottling
Distilled January 1979
Bottled July 2000
336 Bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
19 years old
50%
THE OLD MALT CASK
Single Cask Bottling
Distilled December 1981
Bottled December 2000
Matured in Sherry Cask
474 Bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
19 years old
50%
THE OLD MALT CASK
Single Cask Bottling
Distilled February 1982
Bottled Septembet 2001
Matured in Sherry Cask
720 Bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
24 years old
59,35 %
Distilled in 1978
Bottled in 2002

SUPER PREMIUM

CASK STRENGHT

Natural Cask

Strenght Single Malt Whisky nd RELEASE
Only 12000 bottles
Limited Edition
Numbered bottles
Matured and Bottled by the Distillers
Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen,
Isle of Islay

This individually numbered bottle of rare 24 years old Port Ellen comes from the 2 nd limited release of one of the final year's distillations of this now sadly closed Islay distillery.

PORT ELLEN
24 years old
57,3%
SUPER PREMIUM
CASK STRENGHT
Distilled in 1979
Bottled in 2003
Natural Cask
Strenght Single Malt Whisky
3rd RELEASE
Only 9000 bottles
Numbered bottles
Matured and Bottled by the Distillers Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
22 years old
43 %
Distilled on 9th August 1979
Bottled on 18th February 2002
Cask No. 5143
348 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh.

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
22 years old
43 %
Distilled on 9th August 1979
Bottled on 18th February 2002
Cask No. 5144
339 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
22 years old
43 %
Distilled 9th August 1979
Bottled on 18th February 2002
Cask No. 5145
345 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
22 years old
43 %
Distilled on 9th August 1979
Bottled on 18th February 2002
Cask No. 5146
312 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
22 years old
43 %
Distilled on 9th August 1979
Bottled on 28th February 2002
Cask No. 5147
361 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
59 %
Cask Strenght
Distilled 5.9.78
Bottled 18.2.2002
Matured in a refill sherry butt
Butt No. 5268
564 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
56,5 %
Cask Strenght
Distilled 7.9.78
Bottled 5.3.2002
Matured in an oak cask
Cask No. 5338
204 Bottles
Genummerde flessen
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co,
Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
THE DECANTER COLLECTION
PORT WOOD FINISH EDITION 1
24 years old 58 %
Distilled 05.09.78
Bottled 16.09.02
Cask no. 02/159/1
804 numbered Decanters
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
THE DECANTER COLLECTION
PORT WOOD FINISH EDITION 2
24 years old
59,3 %
Distilled 05.09.78
Bottled 16.09.02
Cask no. 02/159/2
792 numbered Decanters
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
57,6 %
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Strenght
Distilled 7.9.78
Bottled 21.5.2002
Cask No. 5348
262 numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
56,5 %
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Strenght
Distilled 7.9.78
Cask No. 5338
Bottled 5.3.2002
204 numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
56,6 %
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Strenght
Distilled 7.9.78
Bottled 27.7.2002
Cask No. 5349
232 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1978
23 years old
55,8 %
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Strenght
Distilled 7.9.78
Bottled 26.7.2002
Cask No. 5350
247 numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1979
24 years old
56,8 %
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Cask Strenght
Cask No. 6773
514 numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
VINTAGE 1977
27 years old
56,7 %
CASK STRENGTH COLLECTION
Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Matured in a Hogshead
Cask No. 2702
159 numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
25 years old
56.2 %
SUPER PREMIUM
CASK STRENGHT
Distilled in 1978
Bottled in 2004
4 th RELEASE
Only 5100 Bottles
Limited Edition
Numbered bottles
Matured and Bottled by the Distillers
Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay

PORT ELLEN
30 years old
58,5 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
CASK STRENGHT COLLECTION
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled on 30/11/1974
Bottled on: 31/08/2005
Matured in a Hogshead
Cask No; 6756
266 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
30 years old
56,9 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
CASK STRENGHT COLLECTION
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled on 14/01-1975
Bottled on 31/08/2005
Matured in a Hogshead
Cask No; 159
206 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

PORT ELLEN
25 years old
57,4 %
SUPER PREMIUM
SPECIAL RELEASES 2005
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Annual Release
5th Release
Natural Cask Strenght Single Malt Whisky
Distilled in 1979
Bottled in 2005
From American Oak Refill Casks
Limited Edition
5280 Numbered Bottles
Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay

Natural CaskStrenght Single Malt Whisky

This individually numbered bottle of rare 25 year old Port Ellen comes from the 4th limited release of one of the final year's distillations of this now sadly closed Islay distillery. Matured and bottled by the distillery owners it is a classic example of this unique single malt whisky.

PORT ELLEN
27 years old
54,2 %
CLASSIC MALTS SELECTION
SPECIAL RELEASES 2006
Natural Cask Strenght Single Malt Whisky
6 TH RELEASE
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1978
Bottled in 2006
From American Oak and
European Oak refill Casks
Only 4560 numbered
bottles worldwide
249 bottles available
for the Netherlands
Port Ellen Maltings, Port Ellen,
Isle of Islay

PORT ELLEN
Aged 25 Years
57,5 %
OLD & RARE
Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky
"A PLATINUM SELECTION "
Distilled : April 1982
D L cask ref. 3478
A June Bottling 2007
Bottled at Natural Cask Strenght
Traditionally Un - Chill Filtered
Offered with Pride
Limited Edition
Numbered Bottles
512 Bottles
Selected and Bottled for Potstill -
Austria's finest Whisky Store
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

PORT ELLEN
29 years old
55,3 %
CLASSIC MALTS SELECTION
SPECIAL RELEASES 2 0 0 8
EIGHT 8 RELEASE
Natural Cask Strenght Single Malt Whisky
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1978
Bottled in 2008
Limited Edition
ANNUAL RELEASE
One of only 6618 Bottles
Port Ellen maltings, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay
Closed five years after this malt was made, Port Ellen distillery became widely known after

PORT ELLEN
1 9 9 2
Over 25 years old
40 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillation Date:
September 1982
Cask Rype: Refill Sherry Butts
Bottling Date: November 2007
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Specially selected, produced and bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
Port Ellen is one of the three main villages on Islay

PORT ELLEN
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
1 9 8 3
Aged 26 years
54.7 %
CASK STRENGHT COLLECTION
ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Distilled on: 02/03/1983
Matured in a Wine Treatened Butt
Cask No: 232
Bottled on: 10/11/2009
587 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Casks individually selected and bottled by
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Pitlochry

PORT ELLEN
Aged 27 years
49.4 %
RAREST OF THE RARE
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
A Historic Collection of Cask Strenght
Single Cask Whiskies from Distilleries
which no longer exist
Unique Whiskies of Distinction
Fons et Origo
D T C
Est. 1938
Distilled at Port Ellen Distillery
Distilled: 03.1983
Cask no: 672
Bottled: 05.2010
278 Numbered Bottles
No Chill Filtering or Colouring of any kind
Duncan Taylor & Co, Ltd, Huntly, Aberdeenshire

PORT ELLEN
27 years old
43 %
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillation Date: September 1982
Cask Type: Refill Sherry Casks
Bottling Date: September 2009
Proprietors: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd
Specially selcted, produced and bottled
By Gordon & Macphail, Elgin.
Port Ellen Distillery is located in one of three main villages on Islay. It was founded in the1820’s and expansion took place in the 1960’s. The distillery whitepainted walls

Port Ellen gaf werk aan 33 mensen, die een turfachtige malt produceerden van 35 ppm.

Dat Port Ellen werd gesloten, lag aan de blenders, die een voorkeur hadden aan de whisky van Lagavulin en Caol Ila. Port Ellen rijpte langzaam. Het water kwam van Leorin Loch en liep via een pijpleiding naar de distilleerderij.

Men gebruikte voor 20 procent sherry vaten, de overige vaten waren ex-Bourbon hogsheads en barrels. De capaciteit was ongeveer 1.700.000 liter pure alcohol per jaar.

Mash tun: 1 x 568 tonnes

Washbacks: 8 x 30.000 litres

2 wash stills x 28000 litres

2 spirit stills x 25000 litres

Output: 750.000 litres

This golden 22 year old starts with arousing, seaweed aroma's - 'like walking on the beach'. The light, firm bodied style reveals smooth sea-salt, crusty bread flavours, and a sweetly salty, powerful, long and complex finish.

Beautifully streamlined with thick tapering tails they make the perfect aquatic hunters and run, swim and dive with great skill. They are intelligent and play¬ful, often sliding down a river bank or snow into the water. Their diet is mainly eels or fish and they can breed throughout the year.

Alyhough otters are no longer hunted and are now protected by law, they are still in danger from pollution, development and water sports.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a charitable organisation whose aims are to promote the conservation of the wildlife of Scotland. A donation will be made to the Trust for every bottle sold.

Okergeel. In de neus zeewier, turf en rook. Medium body. In de smaak hout, rook, vanille, zeewier. Heel aards. Specerijen en peper. Rijke krachtige lange rokerige afdronk met alle smaak componenten

Matured and bottled by the distillery owners it is a classic example of this unique single malt whisky.

Proces- and cooling water came from Leorin Lochs. Peat was first cut at Macrie, Old Lagavulin and Lagan Moss. After 1986 peat came from Duich moss and Castle hill.

The mash tun was a cast – iron one backs with copper top and the capacity was 5 tonnes.

There were 8 Oregon pine Wash.

The mill was a Porteus

Port Ellen had 4 onion shaped stills, indirect heated. Each Wash still had a capacity of 28.700

litres, each Spirit still had a capacity of 27.500 litres.

Cooling was via worms submerged in tubs and the output was a 2.500.000 litres of spirit a year.

Port Ellen 13 dunnage warehouses with a capacity for 10.000 casks

This individually numbered bottle of rare 24 years old Port Ellen comes from the 3 rd limited release of one of the final year's distillations of this now sadly closed Islay distillery.

Matured and bottled by the distillery owners it is a classic example of this unique single malt whisky.

All you hope for from Port Ellen, with its classic mild, maritime nose and powerful, smoky, medicinal flavours; assertive, vigorous for its age and the biggest and ripest for some time.

Numbered bottles

1836 when owner, John Ramsay, pioneered whisky exports to America, shipping single

malt whisky from the quay. The first spirit safe was introduced here in 1824, years before

their general adoption, as was Scotland’s first onsite duty – free bonded warehouse in 1848

Listed buildings now, Port Ellen’s old warehouses live on

A powerful, smoky bottling at natural cask strength from Islay’s lost distillery, superbly

fresh and strong for its age and very seductive. High notes of coal tar and smoke effort-

lessly command the elegant, mellow nose, underscored by swirling, syrupy – sweet baked

apples and, in time, fresh sea – air aromas. Light bodied, the palate is surprisingly full of

lavour after this subtlety; hot, sweet and powerfully smoky, with a cleansing acidity.

Adding water soothens and cools. The long finish is sweet, then salty, with very late wood -

smoke

The distillery was founded in 1825, expanded in 1967 and in 1973 a large drum maltings

complex was built on the adjavent site

The distillery has been closed since 1983, making it one of the most sought after Single

Malt Whiskies

A beautifully balanced Islay Malt – sweet, peaty elements balanced with fresh fruit notes

and a drying, spicy character

Form an attractive street close to the sea wall. The distillery is now closed/

These whiskies are the most pungent on nose and palate of all whiskies. They are noted

for peaty, medicinal, briny and seaweedy character.

Nose: Peaty with some citrus notes

Palate: Delicate ash and fruity

Body: Balanced

Finish: Peat smoke with a spicy edge

Islay
The Kildalton Distilleries
PORT ELLEN

Port Ellen, Islay, Argyll. Licentiehouder: Low Robertson & Co, Ltd. Onderdeel van Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd.(S.M.D.) De malt divisie van United Malt & Grain Distillers Ltd. Eigendom van Guinness.

In 1825 begon Alexander Kerr Mackay op deze plaats een mouterij die een paar jaar later werd omgebouwd tot een distilleerderij. Mackay was huurder van de distilleerderij, de huurder van de gebouwen was Major James Adair teDumfries en Glasgow, die op zijn beurt de gebouwen onderverhuurde aan John Morrison en zijn compagnonsGeorge MacLennon en Patrick Thomson. Alexander Kerrstierf in 1833.

Onder zijn opvolger John Morrison gingen de zaken minder goed en Ebenezer Ramsay, gevolmachtigde van de belastingen, stuurde zijn zoon Eben naar zijn familielidMorrison om uit te zoeken wat er mis was.
Eben Ramsay liet niets van zich horen en toen stuurdeEbenezer Ramsay zijn jongste zoon John Ramsay naarPort Ellen. John Ramsay wist Ebenezer Ramsay te overtuigen, dat de distilleerderij onder goede leiding een kans had.

Morrison werd overgeplaatst naar het kantoor in Glasgowom de verkopen te behartiggen, en John Ramsay tijdelijk bijgestaan door zijn broer Thomas behartigde de zaken tePort Ellen. John Morrison voldeed ook niet te Glasgow enThomas werd deelgenoot in de onderneming. In 1839 werd een tweede, belastingvrij lagerpakhuis in gebruik genomen.

Nadat Adair, de huurder van de gebouwen, in 1840 was gestorven, werd de verhuur geveild, hoogste bieder wasAlexander Craig te Glasgow. Maar landeigenaar Walter Frederick Campbell had recht van veto,
en besliste in het voordeel van Ramsay, en gunde hem het recht van huur.

Ramsay huurde daarna nog twee boerderijen naast Port Ellen: Cornabus en Kilnaughton. In 1842 stond op zijn inventarislijst, dat hij 33.590 liter whisky, met een waarde van E 1,479 16s in voorraad had, de totale waarde van zijn voorraad was E 4,193 19s 8d. Port Ellen exporteerde toen al rechtstreeks naar de Verenigde Staten.

Omstreeks 1848 kwam zijn zuster Margaret bij hem op deCornabus boerderij en trouwde met James Stein, die samen met zijn broer Ardenistiel had geleid. James Stein werd manager van Port Ellen en rentmeester en Ramsay was zelf meer in Glasgow waar hij zich bezighield met de import vansherry, port en madeira.

Te Port Ellen werd ook de 'Spirit Safe' verfijnd, uitgevonden door Septimes Fox en geaccepteerd door de dienst van accijnzen, na de 'Act of 1823'. Ramsay groeide uit tot de belangrijkste landbouwdeskundige op Islay, en publiceerdeover dit onderwerp regelmatig in de Glasgow Herald.

Landeigenaar Walter Frederick Campbell ging bankroet in1854 en een Engelse koopman James Morrison werd eigenaar en hij verkocht in 1855 Kildalton aan Ramsay voor € 70,765.

Ramsay was landheer geworden van zijn collega's deJohnston's van Laphroaig, de Graham's van Lagavulin en de MacDougalls van Ardbeg. Ramsay begon ook een stoomvaartdienst van Islay naar Glasgow,
liet nieuwe wegen aanleggen te Kildalton en toen met de groei van de bevolking er niet genoeg voedsel was, liet hij de meest doortastenden, op zijn kosten naar Canada emigreren. Deze mensen bezocht hij daar ook een keer om naar hun welzijn te vragen.

In Glasgow gingen de zaken ook goed, John Morrison was opgevolgd door James Richardson, die op zijn beurt werd opgevolgd door W.P. Lowrie. Lowrie begon in 1869 voor zich zelf, en werd een belangrijk man in de Schotsewhiskyindustrie, en vooral bekend door de hulp die hij James Buchanan bood toen die zijn eigen blend uitbracht en weer later, na de krach van de Pattison in 1898, toen hij zelf in moeilijkheden kwam, werd overgenomen door Buchanan.

In 1892 verleende John Ramsay een huurovereenkomst aan zijn tweede vrouw Lucy, voor grond gelegen aan de zeezijde van Port Ellen, waar zij vier huizen liet bouwen. John Ramsay stierf op 24 Januari 1892 en de dagelijkse leidingging over in de handen van Lucy Ramsay.

In September werd een speciale vergadering belegd om te onderzoeken 'payments to Mrs Ramsay for spirits at Port Ellen, sold during John Ramsay's lifetime but not delivered'. De stand eind Juni 1892 was 727,700 liter.

De taxateurs waren A.W. Robertson van Robertson & Baxter te Glasgow, whisky makelaars, en W.P. Lowrie,blender.Tezelfdertijd werd besloten dat John Ramsay'sachterneef de onderneming zou verlaten niet later dan 30 September met een betaling van E 16 13s 4d.

Lucy Ramsay nam een zekere Osborne aan als manager van de distilleerderij tot aan haar overlijden in 1905. Haar zoonIain Ramsay, nam Port Ellen over, maar omdat zijn zusterLucy, haar deel in baar geld wilde hebben, raakte Iain in moeilijkheden.

In deze periode was Malcolm Maclntyre van Train & Maclntyre Ltd als leerling distillateur bij hem werkzaam, en hij vroeg hem zijn compagnon te worden. Beiden moesten meevechten in de eerste wereldoorlog en alleen Ramsaykeerde terug, als invalide en volkomen in de war als gevolg van een ondergegane Zeppelin aanval aan het front.

De markt voor whisky was slecht na de oorlog en in Amerikawas er de drooglegging, van oudsher een heel belangrijke markt voor Port Ellen en Ramsay werd gedwongen een deel van zijn aandelen en grondbezit te verkopen.

W.P. Lowrie was in 1906 overgenomen door Buchanan en samen met John Dewar & Sons Ltd werden de aandelen vanPort Ellen door hen overgenomen in 1920. De naam werdPort Ellen Distillery Co, Ltd.

Na de fusie tussen Buchanan - Dewar in 1925 met deDistillers Company Ltd (D.C.L). werd de onderneming geluiquideerd in 1927 als gevolg van de depressie die er toen heerste.
De aandelen werden toen overgenomen door John Dewar & Son Ltd en W.P. Lowrie & Co Ltd, tot in 1930 Port Ellenonderdeel werd van Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd, de malt divisie van de D.C.L.

Port Ellen werd in 1930 gesloten.
De voorraden waren enorm te Port Ellen, de distilleerderij bleef 37 jaar dicht, en kon al die tijd whisky leveren.
In 1967 werd Port Ellen weer opgestart.
In April 1967 was Port Ellen kompleet nieuw gebouwd en toen een heel efficient bedrijf.
In 1973 werd de nieuwe grote mouterij gebouwd bij Port Ellen die alle distilleerderijen van Scottish Malt Distillers,Lagavulin, Port Ellen en Caol Ila van mout gingen voorzien.
Port Ellen werd gesloten, tesamen met elf andere distilleerderijen in Mei 1983. Het effekt op Islay was enorm.

Het water kwam van Leorin Loch.
De Mash tun is 5,68 ton.
De acht Wash backs hebben een inhoud van elk 30.000 liter.
De twee Wash stills zijn elk 28.000 liter, de twee Spirit stills elk 25.000 liter.
De produktie capaciteit was 750.000 liter spirit per jaar.

Guinness nam Arthur Bell & Sons Limited in 1986 tegen hun zin over en in 1987, en eveneens tegen hun zin, The Distillers Company Ltd (D.C.L). In 1988 werden beide groepen van bedrijven samengevoegd, en de nieuwe naam werd United Distillers Ltd.

Op 12 Mei 1997 staakte de Fransman Bernard Arnault van L M V H zijn verzet tegen de fusie van Guinness en Grand Metropolitan (GrandMet) voor een afkoopsom van ƒ 800.000.000.

De nieuwe naam van de gefuseerden zou eerst G M G Brandsworden maar op 22 October werd bekend dat de naamDiageo zou worden, afgeleid van het Latijnse woord voor dag en het Griekse woord voor wereld.
Diageo wordt het grootste drankenconcern ter wereld, groter dan Seagram en Allied Domecq samen en met een omzet van 40 miljard gulden.

Op 28 Maart 1998 verkoopt Diageo het whiskymerkDewar's en het ginmerk Bombay voor E 1,15 miljard aanBacardi Martini. Het afstoten van de twee merken was een voorwaarde die door de Amerikaansemededingingsautoriteiten was gesteld aan de goedkeuring van de fusie tussen Guinness en Grand Metropolitan.

Dewar's heeft een omzet van ruim één miljard gulden en een marktaandeel van 10 %. Het merk is marktleider in de V.S.

Diageo is de overkoepelende naam voor vier ondernemingen:United Distillers & Vintners, (U.D.V.), Pilsbury, Guinness en Burger King. Onderdeel van de verkoop houdt ook in de overname van de distilleerderijen Aberfeldy, Ault-more, Craigellachie en Royal Brackla door Bacardi Martini.

Balmenach wordt in December 1997 verkocht aan Inver House.

October 2005
Diageo has announced that its 2005 Annual Rare Malts Selection will be the last.
The collection will consist of four cask strenght single malts from closed distilleries; Glen Mhor 28 years old, Millburn 35 years old, Glendullan 26 years old and Linkwood 30 years old.
Dr. Nicholas Morgan, global malts marketing director commented: 'As the Special Releases are now well established, it makes less sence to continue selecting and promoting a parallel series of Rare Malts with his own separate indentity'. In future, all premium and rare whiskies will be made available in the annual Special Releases series.

THE OLD MALT CASK 50o
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd
Douglas House 18, Lynedoch Crescent, Glasgow G 3 6 E Q.
In 1949 Fred Douglas Laing established Douglas Laing & Co primarily as a blender and bottler for his Scotch Whisky blends The King of Scots and House of Peers, which are available today internationally.
Large stocks and reserves of aging Malts in particular, were laid down by Mr. Laing, many being guarded for 25 - 30 years specifically for the older blends such as the 25 and 30 Year Old KING OF SCOTS.
With more than 50 different Malts in stock, over the last 50 years from filling programme, it was obvious that the Malt Master would have certain favourites. These have variously been chalked off the times of regular quality control, as being of particular qualitative interest; both commercially, and for the pleasure of the Directors. It has been their particular perk, benefit and privelege to nose and taste some of the finest quality samples indicative of the Distillers's art.
It was judged by the two current owners/directors (sons of the founder, so nepotism is not dead!) that some of these stocks were 'too good to blend'. And so the OLD MALT CASK selection was developed in 1999 to extend those perks and benefits beyond the Director's tasting suite!
Initially it was felt that 50 different Malts commemorating the Company's 50th Anniversary would be approciate. That tally has now been exeeded but our preferred strenght of 50 % alc/vol is maintained. We believe this strenght creates a fine, round, full quality for various Malts when taken 'neat'. It also allows the regular consumer to know precisely how much or little water should be added to this artisan and craftman's distillate.
These selected Malt Whiskies have waited many years to reach their classic heights of qua-lity. Not only with your health in mind, but with a view to greater enjoyment, may we suggest that in the style of the founder, whose signature endorses your Malt, you enjoy its glass leisurely and slowly.
Douglas Laing.

Port Ellen gaf werk aan 33 mensen, die een turfachtige malt produceerden van 35 ppm.

Dat Port Ellen werd gesloten, lag aan de blenders, die een voorkeur hadden aan de whisky van Lagavulin en Caol Ila. Port Ellen rijpte langzaam. Het water kwam van Leorin Lochen liep via een pijpleiding naar de distilleerderij.

Men gebruikte voor 20 procent sherry vaten, de overige vaten waren ex-Bourbon hogsheads en barrels. De capaciteit was ongeveer 1.700.000 liter pure alcohol per jaar

Water: Leorin Loch
Mash tun: 1 x 568 tonnes
Washbacks: 8 x 30.000 litres
2 wash stills x 28000 litres
2 spirit stills x 25000 litres
Output: 750.000 litres

Proces- and cooling water came from Leorin Lochs. Peat was first cut at Macrie,

Old Lagavulin and Lagan Moss. After1986 peat cam from Duich moss and

Castle hill.

The mash tun was a cast - iron one backs with copper top and the capacity was 5 tonnes.
There were 8 Oregon pine Wash.
The mill was a Porteus

Port Ellen had 4 onion shaped stills, indirect heated. Each Wash still had a capacity of 28.700 litres, each Spirit still had a capacity of 27.500 litres.
Cooling was via worms submerged in tubs and the output was a 2.500.000 litres of spirit a year.

Port Ellen 13 dunnage warehouses with a capacity for 10.000 casks

Port Ellen’s smokiness is quite different to the rest of its neighbours on Islay’s south coast, being both highly maritime in nature alongside a sharp lemon element, light tar and some oiliness in the texture. Because most of the bottlings have been matured in refill casks it is rare to find a Port Ellen with a huge amount of oak. While this accentuates the smokiness it also lends it a somewhat austere nature.

As the world’s love of smoky whiskies has increased so its stock has risen – not necessarily because of it having any greater qualities than its neighbours but simply because it is rare. It is fast becoming a whisky only investors can afford to buy.

Port Ellen was opened in 1824, later than its neighbours onIslay’s south coast. It was built by Alexander Mackay, on the site of a malt mill which had possibly been supplying the many illicit distillers on the Oa Peninsula. Mackay struggled and in 1836 the lease of the distillery was taken by the 21-year-old John Ramsay whose uncle Ebenezer was a distiller based in Clackmannanshire and related to the Steins.

Ramsay was a man of his time. As well as establishing the distillery, he became the business partner of Walter Frederick Campbell who owned Islay. Between them they started the bi-weekly steamer between the island andGlasgow which undoubtedly helped cement whisky-making as a major industry on the island. It also made Port Ellen, rather than Bowmore, the island’s main ferry terminal.

He also introduced ‘improved’ agricultural practises to Islay. One reason for the island not suffering from the worst of theClearances is down to the open and benign attitude of its then laird to his tenants. In 1869, the sales of Port Ellenwere handed to W.P. Lowrie, the blender and broker who among many other things loaned James Buchanan money (and supplied stock) for the young tyro blender. By this timeCampbell’s Port Ellen had already started to be exported to the United States.

The distillery remained in the Ramsay family’s hands until1920 when it was sold to the newly formed Port Ellen Distillery Co. which had been formed by John Dewar andJames Buchanan, who had by then bought Lowrie’sbusiness. When these two firms became part of DCL in 1925, so ownership of Port Ellen passed into the hands of the industry giant. It closed in 1930 and remained silent – something which is often forgotten – until 1967.

In 1973, the old distillery buildings were dwarfed by the new drum maltings which were erected alongside, initially to supply malt for DCL’s three Islay plants, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Port Ellen.

The 1980s whisky loch hit Islay hard. These were the days when the received wisdom was that only a small number of intrepid drinkers would enjoy smoky single malt – indeed single malt wasn’t even being considered as an option by major distillers.

Blenders meanwhile only needed a small percentage of smoky malt in their whisky. The result was that distilleries either went onto short time working, or closed. With three distilleries on the island, DCL was more exposed than most and Port Ellendrew the short straw. In 1983 it closed forever. The maltings only stayed open thanks to a gentlemen’s agreement [the Concordat] between Islay’s distillers in which they all agreed to take a percentage of their malted barley from the plant.

Port Ellen’s fame therefore only came after the distillery doors had been firmly bolted. Stocks are dwindling… and prices rising.

1825

Port Ellen distillery is founded by

Alexander Mackay, and with

help from Walter Campbell

Alexander Mackay runs into

financial troubles and his relatives

John Morrison, Patrick

Thomson and George Maclennan

take over.

10/101826 - 10/10/1827

Production is 3179 gallons

1833

John Ramsay, a cousin to

John Morrison comes from

Glasgow to take over.

1836

The distillery lease is taken by

John Ramsay from the Laird of Islay

and Port Ellen bought for 1.950.

1842

33.590 Ltrs inventory in bond

1860

Output is 550.000 Ltrs

1869

W.P. Lowrie becomes agent of Port Ellen

1892

Ramsay dies and Port Ellen is

inherited by Lucy Ramsay, his wife.

1906

Lucy Ramsay dies and her son

Captain Iain Ramsay takes over

1912

Malcolm McIntyre of Train & McIntyre Partner

1920

The Ramsay family sells the business

to conglomerate Port Ellen Distillery Co Ltd.

owner is Buchanan - Dewar.

1925

The distillery becomes part of the DCL stable,

Buchanan - Dewar joins the D.C.L.

The Distillers Company Ltd.

1930

Port Ellen distillery closes

1966

Rebuilding the distillery

1967

After 37 years the distillery reopens

2e april

2 Wash still capacity 28.700 Ltrd

2 Sirit stills capacity 27.500 Ltrs

Heated by direct coal fires

cost of rebuilding 400.000

1968

Very dry summer on islay

Clynelish distillery takes part of the production

over

1973

Drum maltings are built alongside the

distillery

1974

The old maltings are demolished

1983

Port Ellen closes for the last time in May

1998

A 21-year-old is released,

commemorating the

25th anniversary of the maltings

2001

The first of the Annual Releases is

launched

2014

The 14th release 35 year old 1978

2015

The 15st release 32 year 1983

2016

The 16st release 37 year 1978

2017

The 17st release 37 year 1979

Diageo annouces Port Ellen will

will reopen in 2020

2019

Port Ellen 39 year is released

New Range Untold Stories

Diageo

1997 - present

United Distillers

1986 - 1997

Distillers Company Limited

1925 - 1986

John Dewar & Sons

1920 - 1925

(jointly with James Buchanan)

James Buchanan & Company

1920 - 1925

(jointly with John Dewar)

The Ramsay Family

1836 - 1920

The MacKay Family

1825 - 1836

Port Ellen was opened in 1824, later than its neighbours on Islay’s south coast. It was built by Alexander Mackay, on the site of a malt mill which had possibly been supplying the many illicit distillers on the Oa Peninsula. Mackay struggled and in 1836 the lease of the distillery was taken by the 21-year-old John Ramsay whose uncle Ebenezer was a distiller based in Clackmannanshire and related to the Steins.

Ramsay was a man of his time. As well as establishing the distillery, he became the business partner of Walter Frederick Campbell who owned Islay. Between them they started the bi-weekly steamer between the island and Glasgow which undoubtedly helped cement whisky-making as a major industry on the island. It also made Port Ellen, rather than Bowmore, the island’s main ferry terminal.

He also introduced ‘improved’ agricultural practises toIslay. One reason for the island not suffering from the worst of the Clearances is down to the open and benign attitude of its then laird to his tenants. In 1869, the sales of Port Ellen were handed to W.P. Lowrie, the blender and broker who among many other things loaned James Buchanan money (and supplied stock) for the young tyro blender. By this time Campbell’s Port Ellen had already started to be exported to the United States.

The distillery remained in the Ramsay family’s hands until 1920 when it was sold to the newly formed Port Ellen Distillery Co.. which had been formed by John Dewar and James Buchanan, who had by then bought Lowrie’s business. When these two firms became part of DCL in 1925, so ownership of Port Ellen passed into the hands of the industry giant. It closed in 1930 and remained silent – something which is often forgotten – until 1967.

In 1973, the old distillery buildings were dwarfed by the new drum maltings which were erected alongside, initially to supply malt for DCL’s three Islay plants, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Port Ellen.

Blenders meanwhile only needed a small percentage of smoky malt in their whisky. The result was that distilleries either went onto short time working, or closed. With three distilleries on the island, DCL was more exposed than most and Port Ellen drew the short straw. In 1983 it closed forever. The maltings only stayed open thanks to a gentlemen’s agreement [the Concordat] between Islay’s distillers in which they all agreed to take a percentage of their malted barley from the plant.

Port Ellen’s fame therefore only came after the distillery doors had been firmly bolted. Stocks are dwindling… and prices rising.

However, in October 2017 Diageo revealed plans to reopen both Port Ellen and Brora distilleries, which also closed in 1983. Subject to planning permission, the two sites are expected to be operational once more by 2020.

THE RESURRECTION OF PORT ELLEN AND BRORA

October 2017

The shock news that cult distilleries Port Ellen and Brora are being brought back into production has reverberated around the whisky world. ‘the whisky announcement of a lifetime’.

Port Ellen distillery

Famous name: It is now 34 years since whisky was last made at Port Ellen

In the mythology that surrounds the legions of ‘ghost’ distilleries, two spectres loom especially large: Port Ellenand Brora. While romantics have long fantasised about their revival, realists were typically dismissive of the idea. It turns out that the romantics were right.

Both cult names – Port Ellen on Islay and Brora on the east coast of Sutherland – will be distilling again by 2020 after their owner, world’s largest Scotch whisky producer Diageo, announced a £35m investment to refurbish and refit the two sites.

‘It’s hard to over-estimate the degree of excitement among those people who have been working on this for a year or more now,’ Diageo head of whisky outreach Dr Nick Morgan says. ‘This is a really special day for us and for whisky drinkers everywhere… It’s the whisky announcement of a lifetime.’

The legend surrounding Port Ellen and Brora has only been magnified by their apparently permanent demise. Both were casualties of the early 1980s whisky loch, when the spirit they made for blends was surplus to requirements.

These were different times, when single malts were in their infancy. Only years later – and thanks in no small measure to the annual Special Release bottlings sold by Diageo – did the two distilleries ascend to their current level of fame and value (this year’s Port Ellen and Brora Special Releases were priced at £2,625 and £1,450 per bottle respectively).

Dual identity: Brora was known as Clynelish, before a new distillery was built on the same site

So why reopen them now? ‘I think there are a number of converging reasons,’ Dr Morgan says. ‘The first thing is that from a Diageo perspective we have a huge amount of confidence in where Scotch is at the moment, and where we think it’s going to be going over the next 15, 20, 25 years.’

The growth of single malt sales around the world – particularly among connoisseurs and collectors – is a key factor, but the remarkable status enjoyed by these two closed distilleries makes them a case apart.

‘When we started bottling Port Ellen and Brora in the Special Releases 15 or 16 years ago, there were many people in Diageo who thought we wouldn’t be able to sell those bottles for £100,’ recalls Dr Morgan.

‘We thought the time was right really to bring those two back from the dead in order to expand the number of people who can enjoy them… This will allow a lot more whisky enthusiasts to do so.’

To Jon Beach, Port Ellen collector and owner ofFiddler’s Highland Restaurant & Whisky Bar on the shores of Loch Ness, the decision to revive the plants is a ‘no-brainer’. He adds: ‘If it had been a smaller company or a medium-sized company, it would have happened already, I would have thought.’

There’s still plenty of work for Diageo to do. Technically, this announcement is that the company is seeking planning permission to restart whisky production on the two sites, as well as working through the various regulatory approvals needed to run a modern whisky distillery.

In the case of Brora, the existing, derelict buildings will be used, and the two stills (which remain there) will be refurbished and recommissioned; worm tubs will be installed again.

Port Ellen Special Releases

Auction favourite: Port Ellen Special Release bottlings are particularly sought-after

For Port Ellen, the work needed is more drastic: a new building will be constructed in the courtyard between the maltings and the old warehouses, and a pair of new stills and condensers built and installed. Diageo says it has ‘detailed drawings’ and records of the old equipment to help this process.

The two distilleries will be small by industry standards, producing 800,000 litres of alcohol a year (similar to the production levels at Oban, but higher than Diageo’s smallest commercial distillery, Royal Lochnagar).

For Brora, that’s a slight reduction on its historic production level of 1m litres of alcohol a year; for Port Ellen, where there were previously two pairs of stills, it more than halves production.

This decision is shaped partly by strategic thinking, and partly by pragmatism. ‘We want these to be – I suppose you could say – small, bespoke distilleries,’ explains Dr Morgan. ‘It will enable us to make the distilleries the way we want them to be, and we couldn’t really do a 5-10m-litre operation [on those sites] even if we wanted to.’

As for the whisky itself, the task will be to recreate what was made in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but with a modern twist. ‘We’ve got enough production records to know how these places were being run in the 1980s, and people still on the payroll who worked on those distilleries, so we can use that wisdom,’ says Dr Morgan.

The modern Port Ellen distillery will be housed in a newly-constructed building

‘Our intention is to try and replicate as far as we can the medium-peated style of whiskies that these distilleries produced. But we know a lot more about distilling now than we did in the 1980s, and we’re also cleverer in terms of things like sustainability.’

Maturation is another matter altogether. Historically, Port Ellen and Brora were filled into cask for use in blends, but the ‘new’ distilleries will be almost entirely ring-fenced for single malt (although Dr Morganhypothesises that mature stock might find its way into high-end Johnnie Walker blends in the future).

‘We haven’t sat down and talked about maturation,’ he says. ‘That does raise some interesting questions, given the cask regimes – or lack of cask regimes – at that time. I’m sure there will be some very interesting conversations about that.’

In the 1970s and 1980s, Port Ellen was often filled (at high strength) into tired, almost inert casks. ‘If they do that again, they’re not going to have any of the “new” Port Ellen or Brora for another 25-30 years,’ points outBeach.

So when can we expect to see the first whiskies from the revived sites? ‘We will probably release them as 12-year-olds, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t put out a very small release of something before then,’ says Dr Morgan– meaning that it could be 2032 before any ‘new’ Broraor Port Ellen hits the market.

The impact on that market – in particular, the buoyant secondary market for these ‘collectible’ single malts – was another serious consideration for Diageo in deciding whether or not to resurrect the distilleries.

Indeed, there have already been some gloomy predictions of falling prices for ‘old’ Brora and Port Ellenas a result of the announcement, but Dr Morgan isn’t convinced by the pessimism.

JON BEACH, PORT ELLEN

June 2016

Scotch whisky appreciation was in the genes of Jon Beach, owner of Fiddler’s Highland Restaurant on the shores of Loch Ness. He talks to Angus MacRaildabout Port Ellen myths, its ever-climbing prices – and how he was ‘trapped’ into collecting its single malts in the first place.

Jon Beach

Who are you and what do you do?

‘My name is Jon Beach and I own and run Fiddler’s Highland Restaurant & Whisky Bar in Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness. As well as looking after customers from all over the globe, ensuring they have food to eat, drink to enjoy and beds to sleep in, I have the task of keeping Fiddler’s whisky shelves full of great-tasting and interesting bottles of whisky.’

What whisky do you collect and why?

‘Port Ellen was the first whisky that I started collecting. It trapped me into collecting it by having the same name as my mother (Ellen, not Port) and by being an Islay whisky like Lagavulin, my first whisky love. For me, it was sort of a perfect storm of whisky collecting.’

Why did you gravitate to Port Ellen rather than your local closed distilleries: Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor and Millburn?

‘I went to Millburn School next-door to the Millburndistillery whilst it was still producing, so I always stocked Millburn single malt alongside the other Invernessmalts in Fiddler’s. The difference was that I was buying those bottles to sell by the dram in Fiddler’s, whilst the Port Ellen was mostly for “personal consumption”. Recently, though, I've been very lucky to have tasted some amazing “Snecky” malts from all three of its distilleries – including a 1937 Glen Mhor.’

How did your passion for whisky begin?

‘My father Dick was always a Scotch whisky drinker, as was his father, so I suppose my passion for whisky must be in my genes. The other big figure in my whisky story is my father’s great friend Frank Clark, a true gentleman who used to own and run the Cairngorm Whisky Centre on the outskirts of Aviemore.

‘In the back of his treasure trove of a whisky shop (it was the 1980s – can you imagine the stock he had?) was a tasting room full of Scotland’s finest malts. It was in this back room that my fate was sealed.’

How big a part of the Port Ellen legend is the simple fact that it’s closed?

‘Being closed and there only being a finite amount of it left in the world has certainly helped create a cloud of mysticism around Port Ellen. Port Ellen as a brand never really existed, and it never had a marketing story of its own to tell. Whilst it was being made there was a void that has since been filled by many different voices with many different Port Ellen stories to tell. Some true and some fanciful, to say the least.’

Would you like to see the distillery rebuilt?

‘Such is the misinformation and confusion around Port Ellen distillery that many people think that it never actually closed, and some are even planning on booking the tour next time they’re on Islay.

‘Seriously though, a total rebuild of Port Ellen is perhaps outside the realms of possibility and anyway, would you ever be able to recreate all the conditions that helped produce those great whiskies of the past? Diageo would be much better concentrating its energies into recreating the “Lagavulin of the North” up in Brora. It could be their first true “craft” distillery? Since Roseisle…’

The prices for Port Ellen keep on climbing. How does that affect your decision to keep or open a bottle?

‘It’s only in the past year or two that Port Ellen prices started getting really silly, but the silliness has really been exacerbated by new bottlings that have come to market from Diageo and some of the independents.

‘Some might say, though, that actually they are just reacting to the action of the flippers out there, who buy whisky from shops and take them around the corner to an auction house to make a fast buck. Whatever the truth is, the fact is that I feel very sorry for anybody out there today trying to get hold of Port Ellen to drink – if they’re looking to get hold of it as an investment, then that's an entirely different story.

‘Personally speaking, I look at all the bottles of Port Ellen I’ve opened (and emptied) over the years and to me they’re now full of memories of the places that I opened them and the people I shared them with. Of course I’m fully aware of the value of Port Ellen nowadays, but I still firmly believe that the only good Port Ellen is an opened Port Ellen.’

Have the rising prices changed your whisky buying habits?

‘When the prices started increasing rapidly, I pretty quickly stopped buying new releases in shops and looked more to auction houses for replenishing my stock.

‘Alongside Port Ellens, I started bidding on more vintage Islay whiskies from the ’70s and ’80s and, after opening and tasting them, I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons I liked Port Ellen so much was because, like me, it was a product of the 1970s. Many 1970s whiskies from Islay’s other distilleries are really special too – not as sublime as some of the Islay whiskies I’ve tasted from the 1960s and 1950s, but nonetheless great and definitely more affordable.’

How do you feel about whisky investment – and do you consider yourself an ‘investor’?

‘I buy whisky for three main reasons: primarily, stock for the gantry in Fiddler’s; my personal collection; and, finally, for personal consumption (the last two reasons are pretty much interchangeable).

‘I’ll put my hand up and admit that maybe 15 years ago I may have been buying many of the bottles in my collection as some kind of investment; I’d tried talking to financial consultants but I found their ideas of ISAs, savings plans etc very dull indeed.

‘It turns out my idea of investing in whisky was a sound one, not because of any increase in the value of the whisky, but in that I am now able to enjoy these whiskies and reap rewards of a different kind: the reward of enjoying and sharing a great whisky with friends. Fortunately, I have many great friends who think the same and see their whiskies as things to be opened and enjoyed too. These are the best kind of whisky friends to have.’

Do you think you’d be as passionate about whisky if you didn’t have a business that was so immersed in it?

‘The answer, I suppose, is probably not as it’s mainly through Fiddler’s that I’ve met most of the great people I know in the whisky world. Don’t get me wrong: I’m sure I would still love whisky wherever I was and whatever else I may have done, but Fiddler’s has really been the catalyst for most of the connections I have with whisky.’

What do you think of Diageo’s stewardship of the Port Ellen legacy: the marketing, the bottlings, the prices?

‘When I started buying Diageo’s releases of Port Ellen,they were pretty much the only Port Ellens that were over £100 – a lot for me to spend back in 2001 (I wanted the Broras too, but they were far too expensive at £200 a bottle). Now £100 would be the price of a single serve of last year’s 15th release. Crazy. Mad. Bonkers.

‘Diageo’s marketing of Port Ellen seems to consist of including it amongst their yearly Special Release offerings alongside rare and occasionally unusual whiskies from their stable. The Port Ellen release certainly helps put a bit of a shine on the other bottles, and used to be the one that was snapped up the quickest, but now, thanks to the high prices of these bottles, they are hanging around in shops a lot longer than they used to.

‘The 15th release is the only release I haven’t tasted, but as a lowly barkeep why would I get invited to any of the launch parties or get any samples in shiny boxes...?’

Port Ellen in its modern guise – although only operational for 16 years – had several mini ‘eras’ of production. Do you have a favourite?

‘The ’70s was a transitional time for many distilleries, with the old, inefficient and slow methods of production being replaced by more modern and efficient methods. This really shows with the ’69, ’70 and ’71 vintages I've tasted. They are really special – don’t get me wrong, the later vintages are really great too – but for me the earlier vintages are amongst the best whiskies I’ve ever tasted.’

What are the most prized bottles in your collection?

‘I think I’d have to say it’s the empty bottle of 1969 Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade I took to Islay on the Rosebank-to-Port Ellen charity cycle I did back in 2011. I poured it alongside a 1980s 12-year-old Rosebank in the old Port Ellen filling store in the middle of a wild Hebridean storm.

‘It’s a bit sad, but I had a portrait done of the two bottles and it hangs on the wall in my “study”. I also have a few early 1970s vintage bottles put aside for future birthdays and, of course, for 2025, Port Ellen’s 200th anniversary.’

What are your holy grail bottles to taste/own/find?

‘A few years ago a wise Dutchman said to me about Port Ellen collecting that “the first 500 bottles are easy; it’s the last six that are impossible to get hold of”. Well, I’ve tasted three of the last six, so it’s just the Maltings Anniversary bottling, the 1969 OMC for the Whisky Fair and the James MacArthur Dark Sherry bottling to go.’

What do you think about the modern Scotch whisky industry and the nature of the product nowadays?

‘I sell a lot of modern, standard whiskies in Fiddler’s,with the majority in my smaller list of only 100 bottles being currently available, and I have to say the quality is high and, as I travel from Loch Ness around the world and the world travels to Loch Ness, the feedback is thatScotch whisky is synonymous with quality.

‘Unfortunately, more and more whiskies which I used to sell a lot of have had to move up to the higher shelves, making them less affordable and harder to recommend, but I suppose that’s the plan: rationing by price. I made a decision this year to make all the bottles in my small list carry an age statement; it wasn’t hard and I hope that doesn’t change.

‘As far as older-style whiskies go, I’m watching theDornoch distillery with interest. Their plans to recreate 1950s- and 1960s-style distillates are well-researched and feasible, and I’m looking forward to drinking the “Port Ellen of the North” in the future. The boys in Dornoch are at the forefront of a slow turnaround that’s already starting, with a focus less on stories of fairies and suchlike, and a concentration on production processes, provenance and facts.’

You’ve been involved with organising these crazy whisky tours with the Glug Glug Club for the past few years. How did that come about?

‘It’s quite simple really: get a bunch of guys from all over the world with cupboards full of fantastic bottles of single malts and give them an excuse to open them by organising winter trips to different parts of Scotland and its many distilleries. We’re planning another epic trip from Edinburgh to Orkney in November. Stay tuned...’

What’s been the greatest whisky experience of your life so far?

‘There have been many happy whisky times, from quaffing cocktails and Port Ellen with deranged billionaires in Brooklyn; sharing Port Ellen, Balblair and Tomatin with European royalty; and enjoying Springbank, cheese and oatcakes in a VW bus under a spinning disco ball…

‘But the time I stood in Richard Paterson’s sample room sipping 1930s-distilled Dalmore with my father has to be up there at the top of the list, alongside the time that 1899 vintage Glenlivet got opened. Then again, there was that bottle of Queen’s Visit Port Ellenlast year on the Islay Odyssey...’

The news of Kilchoman’s expansion last autumn was somewhat overshadowed by Diageo’s announcement in October that it is to rebuild Port Ellen, that most hallowed of ‘lost’ distilleries.

While the revived Port Ellen will have a handy supply of malt from the neighbouring maltings and be able to mature its spirit in the existing seafront warehouses, a new distillery has to be constructed.

This facility will contain a pair of stills and condensers made to the same design as the old equipment – part of Diageo’s £35m plans to revive Port Ellen and Brora in the Highlands.

Port Ellen redux will have a capacity of 800,000 lpa per year, and the plan is to have the distillery up and running by 2020.

GEORGIE CRAWFORD

May 2018

Lagavulin distillery manager Georgie Crawford is to leave her post in order to bring cult Islay single maltPort Ellen back into production.

Chance of a lifetime: Georgie Crawford is ‘thrilled’ to take on the task of reviving Port Ellen

Meanwhile, Clynelish site operations manager Stewart Bowman will quit his role to revive single malt whisky production at neighbouring Brora in the Highlands, distillery owner Diageo has announced.

Crawford and Bowman will both have the title of project implementation manager for their respective distilleries – part of Diageo’s plans to revive production at the two sites, announced last October.

The moves also see Colin Gordon, currently site operations manager at Port Ellen Maltings, take over from Crawford as Lagavulin distillery manager.

The changes will take effect shortly after next week’sIslay Festival, Diageo said.

‘It has been a real privilege to be the Lagavulin distillery manager and to work with the fantastic team there for so many years,’ said Crawford.

‘However, the opportunity to bring Port Ellen distillery back into production truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am thrilled to take it on.’

Bowman said he was ‘hugely excited’ to be given the task of reviving production at Brora. ‘The whisky at Brora is revered for its quality, and it is an honour to have the job of bringing distillation back so we can produce a new generation of exceptional Brora Scotchwhisky,’ he added.

Port Ellen and Brora both closed in 1983, deemed surplus to requirements during a grim period for the Scotch whisky industry, but have since acquired a cult status among lovers of malt whisky.

They are set to return to production in 2020 – Brora by refurbishing existing buildings, and Port Ellen in a new building on the Islay site.

Meanwhile, Diageo has announced details of this year’sIslay Festival bottlings: an 18-year-old cask strengthLagavulin (6,000 bottles, 53.9% abv, £130); and a 10-year-old cask strength Caol Ila (2,496 bottles, 58.2% abv, £100).

JOHN RAMSAY

June 2018

John Ramsay arrived at Port Ellen distillery on Islay at the age of 18 and, during his lifetime, became the effective owner of all five distilleries along the Kildalton coast. But he was also a great agricultural moderniser and helped many of his tenants escape poverty by emigrating to Canada.

Port Ellen distillery

As it was: Port Ellen could well have closed in the 19th century, but for Ramsay’s arrival

By any stretch of the imagination, John Ramsay was a remarkable man. Largely self-educated after leaving the tutelage of his dominie Peter MacDougall in Stirling at the age of 12, by the time he was 25 in 1840 he was established as a farmer-distiller residing in Port Ellen, Islay. His journey from Lowland Scotland to Islay was no less remarkable.

The Ramsays were a large Clackmannanshire family whose business interests extended to the United States, New Brunswick and Lower Canada and they were related to some of the other great Lowland distilling families, such as the Morrisons and the Steins.

Ramsay’s father was a maltster and distiller in Alloa,but his business affairs were not sound and, after his mother died, John recognised that he had to seek his fortune elsewhere.

At the age of 12, he rode off through the January snow from the protection of his Aunt Kirsty’s house in Alloa to head for Glasgow, where he found work first in Balfron and later as clerk in a cotton mill in Eaglesham.

He was 13 and maintained immaculate accounts of his income and expenditure, which included seven shillings to a Mr Laidlaw for teaching him Latin. The Ramsays considered themselves reformers and, throughout his life,Ramsay was to advocate that education was of prime importance.

In April 1831, Ramsay’s father left Scotland for good and sailed for Montreal, where he was to establish a saddlery business and marry again. Meanwhile, John Ramsay was looking further afield for new work and it was his uncle, Ebenezer Ramsay, the Procurator Fiscal for Clackmannanshire, who asked John to travel to Port Ellen distillery in 1833 to ascertain how satisfactory the management of the family concern was.

Ramsay’s cousin, Ebenezer jnr, had been similarly tasked by his father but had failed to report back. Ramsay’s relation John Morrison from Alloa was at this time in charge of the distillery.

Due to contrary winds, he was put ashore at Gleann Choiredail near McArthur’s Head (where the lighthouse now stands at the entrance to the Sound of Islay). From there he had to trek the 12 miles overland to Port Ellen, where he arrived to find that Eben had left on the same day to report back to his father that the distillery was unworkable.

Ramsay soon realised that this was not the case and told his uncle so. With the timely return of John’s elder brother Thomas from New Brunswick, it was agreed that John should be trained in Alloa as a distiller byJames Morrison (John Morrison’s brother), and then return to Port Ellen to take over as manager at an annual salary of £150 (around £17,000 in today’s money).

At this time, the lease for Port Ellen was held by Major James Adair of Dumfries, a peg-legged veteran of Waterloo. His death in 1840 meant that the lease would be once more available upon its imminent expiry.

The Islay laird, Walter Frederick Campbell,recognising John Ramsay’s precocious business acumen and ambition, exercised his right of preemption to secure the lease and purchased the distilling business for £1,950 (around £192,000 now).

Ramsay reimbursed Campbell, who drew up a new lease in his name, along with the others for the neighbouring farms of Cornabus and Kilnaughton. John Ramsay was now in business on his own terms and he was to have a profound effect on Islay during the rest of his life.

With Port Ellen distillery under sound management, Ramsay turned his attention to agriculture, modernising his farm at Cornabus, as well as draining bogland and being the first to plant turnips in his parish.

He would become a well-known contributor to the pages of the Glasgow Herald for many years to come, writing under the pen-name ‘Scottish Farmer’. By 1845, Cornabus was being held up as a model Islay farm where modern agronomy practices first took root on the island.

Under Ramsay, Port Ellen became a pioneer in the world of Scotch

Port Ellen distillery was notable for a number of ‘firsts’. The first spirit safe in Scotland had been installed there and tested by its inventor James Fox before Ramsay’s involvement, but it was then developed into the instrument which is to be seen at every malt distillery inScotland today.

Direct exports from Port Ellen to the US were first instigated by Ramsay, who had handed day-to-day management of the distillery over to James Stein, one of the distillers at Ardenistiel Distillery at Laphroaig, who married Ramsay’s sister Margaret and moved to Port Ellen in 1848.

Stein’s arrival allowed Ramsay to spend much more time on the mainland side of his business. Through some family inheritance he invested in and built up the importation of Sherry and Madeira, using the casks to mature his Islay whisky; Ramsay also successfully lobbied the government for the creation of duty-free warehousing.

Walter Campbell entrusted Ramsay with many of his personal affairs, to the extent of co-owning a regular steam packet, the Modern Athens, between theHebrides and Glasgow, and later the Islay which after 1855 serviced the Islay-Glasgow route via Portrush and West Loch Tarbert, and in which severalIslay distillers had shares.

Islay’s population had boomed to 15,000 in the early 1840s, and Campbell’s estate was suffering as a result of this. Despite efforts to introduce light industry, reopening the lead mines, and building farm steadings and new villages, the bulk of the land was worked in a feudal and primitive manner.

The potato famine of 1846 brought Islay’s rural population to the brink of starvation, and Ramsay informed Campbell that his estate was in a precarious position.

By the end of 1847, rent arrears stood at £32,000 (£3.2m now) and Campbell’s estate was sequestered and went into administration for the next six years. John Ramsay and Campbell’s son John Francis became trustees.

Ramsay came to be effective owner of no fewer than five Kildalton distilleries

In 1853, a buyer for the Islay estate emerged in the shape of James Morrison of Basildon, who agreed with Ramsay before the public roup (an auction by sealed bids) that, if successful, Ramsay could relieve him of part of the Kildalton parish with an option to purchase the remainder later.

Morrison’s bid succeeded and, on 9 May 1855,Ramsay came into possession of a large swathe of land to the north and east of Port Ellen, which was supplemented in 1858 with the further purchase of his leaseholdings.

His outlays came to £82,265 (£9.9m now) and included the land on which the distilleries of Laphroaig, Ardenistiel, Lagavulin and Ardbeg were established. Furthermore, these concerns also had to pay rental on their businesses to Ramsay, making him the de facto owner of all five Kildalton distilleries.

Before entering politics, Ramsay helped to relieve the immense burden of poverty and over-population on Islay in the 1860s by financing the emigration of many of his tenants to Canada and helping them to make new lives there. He even crossed the Atlantic and visited them in 1870 to see how they were doing. No other Scottishlaird made such a journey after similar emigrations.

Ramsay’s distilleries evolved into the 20th century after he died on Islay in 1892, but his grandson, Captain Iain Ramsay, could only counteract the post-war effects of the Depression by delaying the inevitable for so long. One by one, the distilleries of Port Ellen, Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg were sold off.

However, according to his grand-daughter-in-law Freda,it was not these famous distilleries which would be John Ramsay’s greatest memorial, but rather his fellow Ileachs who had emigrated across the Atlantic and created ‘prosperity and happiness across the length and breadth of North America’.

THE RESURRECTION OF PORT ELLEN AND BRORA

October 2017

The shock news that cult distilleries Port Ellen and Brora are being brought back into production has reverberated around the whisky world. ‘the whisky announcement of a lifetime’.

Famous name: It is now 34 years since whisky was last made at Port Ellen

In the mythology that surrounds the legions of ‘ghost’distilleries, two spectres loom especially large: Port Ellenand Brora. While romantics have long fantasised about their revival, realists were typically dismissive of the idea. It turns out that the romantics were right.

These were different times, when single malts were in their infancy. Only years later – and thanks in no small measure to the annual Special Release bottlings sold by Diageo – did the two distilleries ascend to their current level of fame and value (this year’s Port Ellenand Brora Special Releases were priced at £2,625 and £1,450 per bottle respectively).

Dual identity: Brora was known as Clynelish, before a new distillery was built on the same site

‘We thought the time was right really to bring those two back from the dead in order to expand the number of people who can enjoy them… This will allow a lot more whisky enthusiasts to do so.’

To Jon Beach, Port Ellen collector and owner of Fiddler’s Highland Restaurant & Whisky Bar on the shores of Loch Ness, the decision to revive the plants is a ‘no-brainer’. He adds: ‘If it had been a smaller company or a medium-sized company, it would have happened already, I would have thought.’

In the case of Brora, the existing, derelict buildings will be used, and the two stills (which remain there) will be refurbished and recommissioned; worm tubs will be installed again.

Port Ellen Special Releases

Auction favourite: Port Ellen Special Release bottlings are particularly sought-after

and installed

For Port Ellen, the work needed is more drastic: a new building will be constructed in the courtyard between the maltings and the old warehouses, and a pair of new stills and condensers built . Diageo says it has ‘detailed drawings’ and records of the old equipment to help this process.

The modern Port Ellen distillery will be housed in a newly-constructed building

Indeed, there have already been some gloomy predictions of falling prices for ‘old’ Brora and Port Ellen as a result of the announcement, but Dr Morgan isn’t convinced by the pessimism.

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE

CELEBRATES PORT ELLEN

July 2018

The lost distillery of Port Ellen is to be celebrated in the second edition of Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s Ghost and Rare series.

Ghostly influence: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghostand Rare Port Ellen is built around the lost distillery’s whisky

The blended Scotch has been built around whisky from the lost Islay distillery of Port Ellen, which closed in 1983.

To ‘recapture the memory’ of the Islay single malt, Johnnie Walker master blender Jim Beveridge has blended Port Ellen with grain whiskies from two other lost distilleries – Carsebridge, which closed in 1983,and Caledonian, which closed in 1988.

The rest of the blend is comprised of ‘incredibly rare’malts from Mortlach, Dailuaine, Cragganmore, Blair Athol and Oban.

Beveridge said the ‘creamy vanilla sweetness’ of the grains, partnered with the ‘rolling waves of citrus, rich malt and tropical fruit flavours’ of the malts, all ‘perfectly balance the distinctive maritime smokiness of Port Ellen’.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Ellen has been bottled without an age statement at 43.8% abv.

The whisky is presented in an individually-numbered bottle displaying a map of Scotland, showing each of the distilleries used in the blend.

The expression is the second in the series, which focuses on the characteristics of lost distilleries in the Diageo portfolio.

The first Ghost and Rare Edition, launched in December 2017, was built around the whisky produced at Highland distillery Brora, which – just like Port Ellen – is set to reopen in 2020.

‘These whiskies deliver a fascinating glimpse into another world, exploring the unique character of whiskies from a small number of iconic, closed distilleries,’ Beveridge said.

‘It’s really interesting to be able to put a spotlight on the character of these whiskies.’

Johnnie Walker Ghost and Rare Port Ellen will be available globally from October for £275/ US$349.99 per bottle

Two of Scotland’s most famous ‘lost’ distilleries to be revived by Diageo. Two "lost" Scotch whisky distilleries are set to be revived with a major investment more than 30 years after they were shut down. The Port Ellen distillery on the island of Islay and the Brora distillery on the remote eastern coast of Sutherland are being brought back into production by drinks giant Diageo through a £35 million investment. Following the closure of the sites in 1983, the whiskies produced by the two “ghost” distilleries have become some of the most highly-prized and sought-after. The plan to reopen their doors follows demand from whisky fans to do so and reflects the strong growth in the single malt market, according to the firm. Port Ellen’s rare whisky is highly sought after. David Cutter, Diageo’s president of global supply and procurement, said: “This is no ordinary Scotch whisky distillery investment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring these iconic distilleries back to life. “We will take great care to be true to the spirit of the original distilleries in everything we do and to operate them with all the knowledge, skill, craft and love of Scotch that our people and our company has gathered through centuries of whisky-making.” • Eight of Scotland’s most famous lost whisky distilleries The new distilleries will be among Diageo’s smallest, capable of producing 800,000 litres of alcohol per year. Bosses vowed they will replicate as closely as possible the previous taste profiles of Port Ellen and Brora, with medium peated character at both sites. The distilleries are expected to be in production by 2020, subject to factors such as planning permission and design work. Cask filling and traditional warehousing will also be included at both sites. • Reviving spirit of Scotland’s lost generation of distilleries Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, said: “This is a truly exceptional moment in Scotch whisky. “Port Ellen and Brora are names which have a uniquely powerful resonance with whisky-lovers around the world and the opportunity to bring these lost distilleries back to life is as rare and special as the spirit for which the distilleries are famous. “Only a very few people will ever be able to try the original Port Ellen and Brora single malts as they become increasingly rare, so we are thrilled that we will now be able to produce new expressions of these whiskies for new generations of people to enjoy.” • One of the rarest Single Malts sells for surprising price at auction Economy Secretary Keith Brown said: “I welcome this significant investment by Diageo which will help to create employment in these rural and remote communities and is a sign of the strength and popularity of our iconic whisky industry. “The return of these distilleries will help to act as a catalyst to draw in tourists to see where these iconic brands are produced, and to discover why they are so revered.” Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “This is good news for one Scotland’s most important industries, and some of our most remote communities. “These ambitious new developments will create jobs, boost tourism and produce premium products to be exported around the world.”

DIAGEO REVEALS FURTHER PORT ELLEN PLANS

January 2019

Diageo has revealed further plans for the revival of Port Ellen distillery on Islay as part of a public consultation today (29 January).

Port Ellen's existing kiln and warehouses will be complemented by a new still house

The plans, which are due to be submitted to Argyll and Bute Council for approval later this year, were unveiled today at a pre-planning consultation in the village of Port Ellen, allowing local residents to view the proposals and share their own memories of the distillery.

Diageo revealed its intention to reopen Port Ellendistillery in October 2017, with a view to having the site operational by 2020, however the opening date has now been pushed back to 2021.

Among the plans is an outline of how the distillery will look once building work is completed, as well as details of two separate distillation regimes.

Since its closure in 1983 only Port Ellen’s kiln building with pagoda roof, and its seaside warehouses remain – many of the original buildings were demolished in the 1930s, and then partly rebuilt in the 1960s.

Diageo now intends to fully restore the remaining buildings and erect a new still house, which will house two pairs of copper pot stills.

One pair will be closely modeled after the original Port Ellen stills so as to recreate the distillery’s spirit character.

The second, smaller pair of stills will be used to create ‘alternative spirit characters’ that will allow Port Ellen to ‘experiment with new whisky styles.

Georgie Crawford, project implementation manager for Port Ellen, said plans to revive the distillery are ‘any whisky maker’s dream come true’.

She said: ‘To have the opportunity to recreate the original spirit character of Port Ellen distillery so we have new generations of that classic Islay peated malt is incredible, but then to combine that with the freedom to experiment with new variations is truly extraordinary.’

The new ‘spacious and modern, light-filled’ buildings, which will house all the process equipment, will be erected around a central courtyard, with the existing kiln and warehouses ‘restored and reimagined’.

Crawford added: ‘Like the whisky, the plans for the building combine the best of heritage and innovation.

‘The buildings at Port Ellen distillery have changed and evolved many times over its lifetime.

‘We believe these plans are a fitting tribute to the exceptional legacy of Port Ellen and we are incredibly excited to be able to share them.’

Port Ellen’s refurbishment is part of a £35 million investment by Diageo in resurrecting the Islay distillery, as well as the Highland distillery of Brora which also closed in 1983.

Diageo is also investing an additional £150m in improving its Scotch whisky tourism facilities, including upgrading its 12 distillery visitor centres and the establishment of a flagship Johnnie Walker experience in Edinburgh.

Although Port Ellen first opened in 1824, its resurrection could see it become the 11th distillery to operate on Islay, following the recent opening of Ardnahoe, and the planned as-yet-unnamed distillery at Farkin from Elixir Distillers.

Port Ellen was opened in 1824, later than its neighbours on Islay’s south coast. It was built by Alexander Mackay, on the site of a malt mill which had possibly been supplying the many illicit distillers on the Oa Peninsula. Mackay struggled and in 1836 the lease of the distillery was taken by the 21-year-old John Ramsay whose uncle Ebenezer was a distiller based in Clackmannanshire and related to the Steins.

Ramsay was a man of his time. As well as establishing the distillery, he became the business partner of Walter Frederick Campbell who owned Islay. Between them they started the biweekly steamer between the island and Glasgow which undoubtedly helped cement whisky-making as a major industry on the island. It also made Port Ellen, rather than Bowmore, the island’s main ferry terminal.

He also introduced ‘improved’ agricultural practises to Islay. One reason for the island not suffering from the worst of the Clearances is down to the open and benign attitude of its then laird to his tenants. In 1869, the sales of Port Ellen were handed to W.P. Lowrie, the blender and broker who among many other things loaned James Buchanan money (and supplied stock) for the young tyro blender. By this time Campbell’s Port Ellen had already started to be exported to the United States.

In 1973, the old distillery buildings were dwarfed by the new drum maltings which were erected alongside, initially to supply malt for DCL’s three Islay plants, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Port Ellen.

Blenders meanwhile only needed a small percentage of smoky malt in their whisky. The result was that distilleries either went onto short time working, or closed. With three distilleries on the island, DCL was more exposed than most and Port Ellen drew the short straw. In 1983 it closed forever. The maltings only stayed open thanks to a gentlemen’s agreement [the Concordat] between Islay’s distillers in which they all agreed to take a percentage of their malted barley from the plant.

Port Ellen’s fame therefore only came after the distillery doors had been firmly bolted. Stocks are dwindling… and prices rising.

Diageo

1997 - present

PREVIOUS OWNERS

United Distillers

1986 - 1997

Distillers Company Limited

1925 - 1986

John Dewar & Sons

1920 - 1925

(jointly with James Buchanan)

James Buchanan & Company

1920 - 1925

(jointly with John Dewar)

The Ramsay Family

1836 - 1920

The MacKay Family

1825 - 1836

PORT ELLEN RETURNS IN UNTOLD STORIES SERIES

February 2019

Port Ellen is making a return to shelves this spring in a new series of regular releases, starting with the oldest globally-available whisky from the silent distillery.

Port Ellen Untold Stories The Spirit Safe 39 Year Old

Untold Stories: The new Port Ellen series will champion the distillery's long history

The Port Ellen Untold Stories Series will include regular bottlings of some of the last remaining stocks from the Islay distillery, which closed in 1983.

The first release, Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe, is a 39-year-old single malt matured in a selection of ex-Bourbon and ex-refill European oak Sherry casks and bottled at 50.9% abv.

It’s described as having aromas of soft peat smoke and ‘an abundance of fruit: sultanas, melon, lime with a hint of ginger ale’, with a ‘smooth texture and a sweet, salty then smoky’ taste.

Just 1,500 bottles have been produced, which will be available at specialist retailers worldwide from early April for around £4,500 each.

Each bottle is presented in a wooden display case, which can only be opened with two unique keys.

Tom Jones, global prestige brand ambassador for brand owner Diageo, said: ‘There is the 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.’

Its launch marks the first new release from Port Ellen’s stocks since it was removed from Diageo’s annual Special Releases line-up in 2018.

Port Ellen distillery, which was founded in 1825, was closed in 1983 during a period of over-supply in the Scotch whisky industry.

Earlier this year distillery owner Diageo revealed plans to revive the site, with a view to return to whisky production at Port Ellen in 2021.

Georgie Crawford, master distiller at Port Ellen, added: ‘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 [Port Ellen’s founder] 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 we hope to give more insight into why it is so special a liquid, not just for its flavour, but for its history.’

Islay distillers face peated malt shortages

OCTOBER 12, 2022

There’s no need to panic buy… yet … but there are Islay peated malt shortages on the horizon for the Scotch whisky distillers with Port Ellen maltings especially facing unprecedented demand. Here’s the full story.

It started as a tip-off from an anonymous source on Islay: the supply from Port Ellen maltings to non-Diageo distilleries will be limited in 2023 and may be stopped entirely in 2024. So we did a bit of digging. Robbie Millar from Beam Suntory, owner of Bowmore and Laphroaig, had this to say when we asked him: “We are aware of the Port Ellen situation and have been working to address the consequences of Diageo’s decision to restrict supplies.”

Port Ellen

Demand from Diageo distilleries like Port Ellen means there’s less peaty malt to go round

Peated malt shortages

Then another major distiller in Islay told us: “Diageo has substantially cut all of their external customers for 2023, and I have not yet had a chat with them about 2024, but it is a distinct possibility”. He didn’t want to go on the record but Anthony Wills from Kilchoman was happy to talk: “My understanding is they [Diageo’s customers] have been told from 2024, they will not be able to provide the level of malt they currently get.”

When we put this to Ian Smith, head of corporate relations at Diageo, he said he “would not contradict what you are saying.” He then released the following statement: “We can’t comment on the detail of commercial supply contracts, but it is the case that we have seen significant increased demand for malted barley from our Port Ellen maltings. As a result, the maltings are operating at full capacity and we are managing supply accordingly. We deeply value our relationship with our fellow distillers and customers and are doing everything we can to assist them within the supply constraints, alongside considering potential future solutions.”

Unprecedented demand

The problem is that demand for peated malt from Port Ellen maltings from Diageo’s Islay distilleries is at an unprecedented level. Caol Ila was shut for much of the pandemic – now it’s back to seven days a week. Combine that with the resumption of distilling at Port Ellen for the first time since 1983 and the continued demand for Lagavulin, and you have a problem. There was talk in the past of expanding capacity at Port Ellen maltings but for whatever reason it never happened. Georgie Crawford, formerly of Port Ellen and Lagavulin distilleries, and now at Elixir on Islay said: “It was foreseeable, everyone saw it coming yet Diageo took the option not to expand.” Another Islay distiller said, off the record, “they should expand. Why haven’t they?”

He continued that it’s not just an Islay thing: “Overall malting capacity is an issue. It’s creaking at the seams.” Anthony Wills from Kilchoman said “Securing malt supply for malt next year is incredibly difficult. Across the industry, there’s a squeeze.” According to Wills, Bairds malters has just added 57 tonnes of capacity while Simpsons is seeking planning permission for new maltings at Speyside. “Everyone is at full capacity,” he added. Malt supply was further hampered by a fire in the peated kiln at Crisps in Portgordon.

Peated malt shortages

Malt: there’s just not enough of it being made to meet demand

Logistical difficulties

One large Scottish maltster told us that it is not taking on any more customers: “the amount of enquiries we are having to walk away from, it’s more than I have seen in the last 30 years.” With all the expansion going on, he added, “the industry is in a tight spot.” He said that both Glenmorangie and Beam Suntory had come to him for malt. He hopes that the demand will encourage Diageo and other maltsters to expand. The Islay problem is particularly acute because even if distillers can secure supplies from the mainland, the island’s creaking transport infrastructure based around CalMac ferries make getting it there difficult. Currently, CalMac doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate the additional freight that would be required. Plus the fact that many distilleries depend on specifically Islay malt for their flavour profile, and their marketing. Not all peated malt is the same. According to Anthony Wills, Laphroaig alone needs five or six loads of malt per week, each one weighing in at around 28 tonnes. That’s a pretty hefty carbon footprint if it was all to come from the mainland.

It seems this malt shortage isn’t just a Scottish or even a British problem. Apparently, energy shortages in Germany have meant that some maltsters have had to shut down entirely. Never mind a whisky shortage, what happens if there’s a European beer shortage? And winter is coming. Maybe it is time to panic a little.

The newly opened Port Ellen stillhouse

Port Ellen Distillery reopens after more than 40 years

19 March, 2024

Diageo has announced that Port Ellen Distillery has reopened on the island of Islay more than 40 years after closing its doors.

The reopening is the final chapter in a £185 million investment from Diageo which has also seen the revival of the other famous ghost distillery, Brora.

“This is a landmark moment for Diageo and for Scotch whisky,” said Ewan Andrew, Diageo president of global supply chain & procurement, and chief sustainability officer.

“Port Ellen is rooted in the land and the people of Islay, yet it is a name that resonates around the world as a watchword for quality single malt Scotch whisky.

Port Ellen has been redesigned with innovation, experimentation and sustainability at its centre, with a pair of Experimental Stills operating alongside the Phoenix Stills, a pair of replicas of the original Port Ellen stills.

“It is an honour to take up this new position at the helm of an iconic distillery and build on Port Ellen’s pioneering past,” said Ali McDonald, master distiller at Port Ellen.

“Port Ellen holds a very special place in the hearts of passionate whisky aficionados, and to see spirit flow off these stills once again is an incredible moment for the Islay community and wider whisky world. We are deeply committed to pushing the boundaries of Scotch through experimentation. I’m excited to see what we can now create.”

To celebrate its rebirth, the distillery has released Port Ellen Gemini, twin 44-Year-Old Scotch whiskies, drawn from three 1978 European oak casks.

Port Ellen Distillery on Islay reopens - here’s what visitors can expect including free tours

Whisky

Port Ellen Distillery on Islay reopens - here’s what visitors can expect including free tours

The famous ghost distillery on Islay has been officially opened.

Published 19th Mar 2024

Updated 21 st Mar 2024

Port Ellen Distillery on Islay reopened today (19 March) with a bold vision to be a trailblazing light for the future of whisky distillation. The ghost distillery closed more than 40 years ago, part of the ‘whisky loch’, but now a new chapter in the history of Port Ellen begins.

This opening represents the final chapter in the £185 million investment by parent company Diageo, which has also seen the reopening of the other famous ghost distillery Brora, as well as investment in the company’s Scotch whisky visitor experiences.

Drawing on Port Ellen’s heritage as one of the most pioneering distilleries of the 19th Century, the new distillery has been designed from the ground up to push the boundaries of innovation, experimentation and sustainability.

The striking new distillery building features ultra-modern design with an unobstructed line of sight through the glass stillhouse to the stunning coastline of Islay, across the bay to Carraig Fhada lighthouse.

At the heart of the distillery are two pairs of copper stills. The first pair - The Phoenix Stills - are precise replicas of the original Port Ellen stills and will distil the classic smoky liquid that Port Ellen is known for. The second pair – The Experimental Stills – will give the team the opportunity to be creative and really explore different flavours.

The Experimental Stills are linked to a signature Ten Part Spirit Safe –a truly innovative piece of distilling equipment - that allows the Port Ellen whisky makers unprecedented opportunity for experimentation. While standard distillery spirit safes allow for three cuts of the spirit run – the head, the heart and the tails - the Port Ellen Ten Part Spirit Safe allows multiple cuts to be drawn from the heart of the run, accessing previously unexplored flavours and characters.

The distillery has a dedicated on-site laboratory and a full-time laboratory technician to analyse and catalogue the new experimental whiskies that emerge.

Port Ellen reopen

In line with Diageo’s commitment to be carbon neutral in its direct production business globally by 2030, Port Ellen will be carbon neutral from the start, with every part of the distillation process optimised so that water and heat are both recycled, and all energy produced by a renewable-biofuel boiler.

Ewan Andrew, Diageo President of Global Supply Chain & Procurement, and Chief Sustainability Officer, officially announced the opening during a ceremony at the distillery.

He said: “This is a landmark moment for Diageo and for Scotch Whisky. Port Ellen is rooted in the land and the people of Islay, yet it is a name that resonates around the world as a watchword for quality single malt Scotch whisky.

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“Port Ellen has a proud heritage of leading innovation and experimentation and we have been true to that legacy in the reborn Port Ellen, creating a distillery grounded in tradition but prepared to be a trailblazing new light in the firmament of the Scotch whisky universe.”

Ali McDonald, Master Distiller at Port Ellen said of the return: “It is an honour to take up this new position at the helm of an iconic distillery and build on Port Ellen’s pioneering past.

"Port Ellen holds a very special place in the hearts of passionate whisky aficionados, and to see spirit flow off these stills once again is an incredible moment for the Islay community and wider whisky world.

"We are deeply committed to pushing the boundaries of Scotch through experimentation. I’m excited to see what we can now create.”

Aimée Morrison, Port Ellen Master Blender, spoke of the future of the distillery and its whisky: “Port Ellen will be defined as a distillery that will push boundaries, with our on-site laboratory giving us the opportunity to delve into scientific research, offering us a deeper look into this Islay malt.

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"We will better understand how the nuanced flavours from cask-to-cask shine in different ways; with the rolling smoke weaving its way through the heart of Port Ellen.

"Collectively we will endeavour to maintain the undeniable quality of Port Ellen, create whiskies for the future and take the amazing opportunity to learn as much as we can about the enigma of smoke.”

Port Ellen reopen

Ewan Andrew, Aimée Morrison and Ali McDonald open Port Ellen distillery

From today (19 March), Port Ellen Gemini, a new special release to celebrate the reopening, is available to purchase priced at £45,000. Presented in crystal decanters, Port Ellen Gemini presents twin 44-Year-Old Scotch Whiskies, drawn from three 1978 European oak casks.

The distillery brand home also features works by award winning artists, including multiple Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (of which Diageo is a long-term supporter) scholars Lucy May Schofield, Fung + Bedford, Eleanor Lakelin, and Harry Morgan, Daniel Brophy and Object studio.

Visiting Port Ellen - how to book a tour

Port Ellen distillery will welcome visitors - the whisky community, connoisseurs, collectors and invited guests - to experience the wonders of the new distillery.

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Available to book from June, the experiences range from a full day private immersion for connoisseurs, to shorter introductions to the production process.

Port Ellen will also open its doors on the first Saturday of every month for anyone on Islay to visit and witness Port Ellen spirit be crafted once again.

Port Ellen open days

Port Ellen will hold an open day on the first Saturday of every month to ensure that passionate followers from around the world will have a chance to see inside the re-envisioned distillery and witness Port Ellen spirit be crafted once again.

This will be a chance to meet the team, see inside the still house and learn of the latest experiments that have taken place.

Running from June 2024, dates will be released up to a year ahead, bookable online, for free.

Port Ellen reborn

The Port Ellen Reborn experience is for those looking to learn more about the production process at the distillery.

Guests will have the opportunity to draw Port Ellen liquid direct from historic casks, experience a tasting in the warehouse as well as nosing experimental new make spirit.

This also includes a tour accommodating up to twelve guests. It is a 90-minute experience priced at £200pp and is available to book online

n: a phoenix rises

April 15, 2024Longer pieces, Uncategorized

I Islay. Out there, the geese are flying north. Hundreds of them, black against the yellow and blue of the setting sky. Leaving. What happens in the silence after they’ve gone? The memory of the skeins caught in that bright yellow line. We wait for the return.

The memories of the distillery scroll in some sort of time-lapse: lights going out, roofs sagging, brickwork crumbling, the demolition team moving in leaving only the skeletal frames of the pagodas as a reminder.

I’ve got Benjamin Myers’ novel about St. Cuthbert, ‘Cuddy’, in my bag. Maybe that’s why my mind’s filled with religious imagery. The physical form decayed and lost, bottles as reliquaries holding the liquid equivalent of a saint’s bones. As the length of time from the silence stretches, so the legends grew and the humble servant becomes revered.

The drinking of Port Ellen made you complicit in its destruction, and with each bottle that was emptied, so the void was filled with memories and tales and the retelling of those tales. The less there was, the more precious it became. Its consumption was an act of mourning and in the way of these things, sentiment took over and critical faculties were paused. Do not speak ill of the dead.

This glass in front of me now with its fat fruits, soggy peat, treacle toffee and odd washing powder starchiness; its gaminess, salty sea lettuce, and bite of horseradish was the 14th annual exhumation, a 35yo distilled in 1978.

This next one, a 41 year old from 1980, smells of matchbox striker, mineral salts, peppered mackerel, and a high-end sushi restaurant. The wasabi comes on the palate, along with charred fish boxes.

Lovely drams. Fascinating drams. Challenging because any ghost distillery dares you to utter naught but superlatives. More ritual liquidations, but different this time because now the long silence is over. Now is the return.

Cyanotypes

II The visit starts in an open space. A bright, white, modern art gallery with huge picture window looking out to the bay and the Carraig Fhada light. On one wall are 240 small pieces of washi paper which had been dipped in the Leorin Lochs (the distillery’s water source), then taken to Machir Bay where, coated with a emulsion of iron salts, cyanotypes were created, marking dawn to dusk on the longest day. A meditation on time and change.

Tea is brought. Small cups, Chinese style: a hojicha, roasted nutty, tobacco, hay; then Lapsang Souchong from Wuyi, elegant, pine smoke, dark fruits; and finally a Japanese black tea flavoured with plum blossom, fragrant and fruity, yet gripping. A way to ease people into the main building blocks of the distillery’s flavour. It might not be your standard ‘tour’, but it works.

Reflections on Port Ellen

III The dunnage is cold, daylight illuminating a cask of 1979. That Port Ellen minerality, salt crystals on dried mango, drying smoke, hessian and rabbit glue. It sits at an angle from the first row of white-ended and stencilled casks containing the first of the new make. It’s a reminder. but also a farewell to the past. We leave the chill for the warmth of the stillhouse.

‘Nuts and bolts tour?’ asks manager Ali McDonald. Bring it on.

We duck outside to go and see the boiler (it runs off liquid biofuel) and one of many heat exchangers, recycling hot water from the condenser. Then it’s back inside to see Ali’s Marvellous Mill, undoubtedly the piece of kit he’s most excited about.

‘People think they’re boring,’ he says indignantly. ‘They’re anything but – especially this one.’ As he explains, it’s got six rollers, rather than the usual three allowing greater control over the grind. ‘Malt yield is estimated when it arrives at the distillery, but you’ll lose it in the mill. That’s looking at it from a business perspective, but what’s exiting me is how I’ll be able to fine-tune the grind to create flavour.

The ‘Phoenix’ stills

‘The past isn’t enough to live on,’ he continues. ‘What we do here at Port Ellen has to be about the future and here is the first pinch point in the distillery where I can influence flavour.’

Three different amounts of grist can be loaded into the mashtun – 7.5 tons when all four stills are running, six tons when only the Phoenix stills are on, and 5.5 tons for the experimental side.

The wort is clear for the ‘standard’ new make, but given the exploratory nature of the experimental side of the distillery he’ll be running different temperatures and clarity. The half dozen wooden washbacks hold the wash for between 98 and 130 hours in order to get the lactobacillus engaged and help give the fruity undertone. It was, Ali says, ‘what they did in the old days’.

The two ‘Phoenix’ stills are huge, bigger than I expected. Both wash and spirit have a high fill level, but are run slow to get reflux. On the spirit side, a long foreshot run (25-30 mins) leads into a middle cut that takes between four and five hours giving a new make with around 12ppm.

It’s sweet, with the smoke hanging there, the oils clinging, fruits yet to come.No-one has tried Port Ellen new make since 1983. Was this what it was like? That’s the wrong question. This is not the old Port Ellen reopened, it is a new distillery.

What’s the point in replicating what went before? Take those key elements and make something identifiably Port Ellen, but better. You cannot go back, nor can you wallow in sentiment of the good old days. You make and learn, build and improve. It will be Port Ellen. It will have fruit and oil and smoke and and minerality, but it will configure them all in its own way. And that is right.

Experimental side still

IV On the opposite side of the stillhouse are two smaller stills, one fifth the size, flanged so, in theory, different angles of lyne arms and neck lengths can be fitted. For some of the time the two ‘experimental’ stills will help boost the regular new make, but can also run independently. This is where they can play. ‘Anything goes,’ says Ali.

One of the (many) options is a deeper dive into ‘smoke’ pulling its components apart, finding new expressions, by analysing the entire process from Ali’s Marvellous Mill, to distillation.

Rather than relying on the overly simplistic measurement of phenolic parts per million, this will be a forensic dive using the distillery’s on-site laboratory into the relationships and balances between ‘smoky’ components and how changes in process can create different aspects.

It’s similar to what Torabhaig has done in its breakdown of the ratios between phenols, guaicol and cresol to create specific flavours. Smoke isn’t just smoke, peatiness isn’t just peatiness.

Breaking the new make apart will be made possible by the number of tanks linked to the experimental side’s spirit safe. The Phoenix side has separate low wines and feints receivers, a charger and an ISR for the new make. The experimental side however has four tanks which can work either as foreshots and feints receivers/chargers, as well as two ISRs.

There are also three SRWV vessels, one for Phoenix for the spirit which will be tankered off, and two for the experimental side whose new make will be filled on site.

The higher number of tanks on the experimental side will allow intermediate cuts to be made during the spirit run in order to capture specific flavour compounds. While the initial cut from foreshots to heart is made manually, a sequence can be run to determine which vessels the subsequent spirit can run to by an air activated control valve. It’s not just about opening, but opening up. With fast-growing Portintruan building a dedicated pilot distillery (containing two pots, two pot/retort and a column still), Islay’s south coast is set to become the island’s heart of experimentation.

The safes on the experimental side

V The question for the marketeers is how to deal with the ghost’s seductive whispers.‘Keep me the same,’ it says. ‘Just rebuild… look at where we are’, but the new Port Ellen can’t just be the same. It has to be better, because all whisky, surely, has to be better each day.

Consistency and adherence to one set of rules means stasis. Diageo realises that if Port Ellen doesn’t move, what was a ghost distillery will only be a zombie one. You can never go back. You can learn from the past, but you cannot return – and to be honest do you want to? Go back to those last days when everyone knew the writing was on the wall?

The bigger question is how it will be sold. I haven’t a clue what the price of the new Port Ellen single malt will be, but can you simply price it as luxury, or does it have to earn that right?

Let’s face it, the old Port Ellen only reached cult status by accident, not design. It achieved its apotheosis thanks to the rise in single malt, the emergence of Brand Islay, the attraction of the ghost distilleries, and the fact that after decades in refill casks it could finally reveal its full character. Let’s play a game. What if Port Ellen hadn’t closed? Would it be revered today above Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig? Answers on a postcard please.

When its first new bottlings appear they will have to compete on quality terms, not just with its Kildalton coast rivals, but with another eight (ten?) from the island, plus all the other smoky single malts from around the world. When its 12 year old appears, will it be the same price as Caol Ila 12yo, or more, and if more… why?

It won’t be rare, or finite in supply. It will be a new distillery making 1.6million litres a year. Is it right for the new Port Ellen to coast on the reputation of what was made 40 years ago, or earn a new one in your own right? It, like the reborn Brora and Rosebank, has to earn its stripes.

The distillery is open. It is beautiful, the team’s enthusiasm is palpable, the thinking is great, the opportunities huge, but now the hard work starts. As Ali says, the past isn’t enough to live on.