Port Ellen 23 Years Old Silent Stills With Minature Cask 160 56.1% 1975

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Distillery	Port Ellen
Bottler	Signatory Vintage
Serie	Silent Stills
Bottled for	X
Distilled date	14.01.1975
Bottling date	05.06.1998
Country	Scotland
Region	Islay
Age	23
Cask Type	X
Cask Number	160
Alcohol %	56.1%
Volume	0,70
Condition	In Original Wooden Case
Label	Perfect
Stock	0

Professional reviews

BOW (90.50)

Serge Valentin (93)

We adored this collection, which always included a 5cl miniature and a piece of the cask (supposedly). Legend has it that some of the miniatures fetched higher prices at auction than their corresponding full-sized bottles. Several Port Ellen vintages were part of the series, though this particular release seems especially rare. Colour: pale gold. Nose: stunningly beautiful, pure, and compact without water, showing polish, lemon zest, marzipan, fuel oil, and that distinctive ‘new tyre’ note typical of some Port Ellens. It reminds me of the official ‘Rare Malts’ released around the same time. With water: it fractures beautifully outward from the polish, moving into brass cleaner, Barbour grease, ski wax, paraffin, old paint pots and varnishes, and rust-proofing products… before the fuel oil and rubber snap back into focus. Mouth: tremendous precision. Citrus, peppers, polishes, propolis, and ashes—almost abstract in its clarity. With water: this time it remains compact and concentrated, leaning even more towards lemon and white pepper. Finish: very long, highly taut, fresher and more saline, with slightly less emphasis on anything hydrocarbons. I think that works perfectly here. Comments: there is a touch of raw power in this Port Ellen, but perhaps that’s exactly what we sometimes seek—to be dominated by such a whisky. Well, let’s debate…