Port Ellen 1976 Signatory Vintage Collection Dumpy Cask 4795 55.1% 1976

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

A bottle, I remember well. Very expensive, I had thought.

Colour: gold.

Nose: phoo, there’s this very unusual combination of Demerara sugar with smoked and burnt herbs, plus porridge, soot, new bicycle inner tube, and tarmac. Epitomically Port Ellen this time, with this ‘chemical’ side that’s so unique. With water: fab. Leatherette and supermarket plastic bags, more tyres, more smoky porridge, more pitch and tar. ‘Nosing a brand new Porsche’ (a Ford would do, S.!)

Mouth (neat): so unique indeed! Rubber bands marinated in lemonade? Or would that rather be Corsican citron liqueur blended with gorilka vodka? Licking the streets after the Monaco Grand Prix? With water: extremely ‘plasticky’. Plastic pouches, lemon, ginger tonic…

Finish: long, curiously cleaner and more kippery. Big fat oysters with lemon and muscadet.

Comments: 1976’s not a common vintage. This one was full of flaws, lovely flaws, desirable flaws.