Port Ellen 3rd Annual Release 24 Years Old 57.3% 1979

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (86)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one is much more vegetal, grassy, lemony and malty, maybe not really violent but it hasn’t got the ‘polished’ side of this year’s release. Big notes of lamp oil, fresh putty, walnut skins and marzipan. Also hints of antiseptic and nail polish. I like the ‘7’ really better as far as the nose is concerned. Mouth: much better now, even if a tad less complex than the ‘7’. Quite similar in fact, maybe a tad waxier and more almondy and peppery. Also a bit drying – it seems that there’s more oak here. Gets a little too hot, let’s see what happens with water (while the nose got even grassier): it’s almost plain seawater now! Smoked seawater, amazing... Finish: long ‘of course’ but rather rough, salty and grassy. Well, this is great whisky but I liked the ‘7’ better. Much more complexity.

Words of Whisky (91)

Whiskynotes:Nose: this is the sharper, flinty / mineral kind of Port Ellen, although it’s not an extreme example. It has a slightly pungent profile that I associate with wet limestone, lemon and cut grass. Ethereal hints of nail polish as well. Quite some alcohol. It misses the feminine side of vanilla that softens the 7th or 9th release. Evolves on antiseptic, diesel oil and candle wax. Walnuts as well. Faint farmy notes in the background. Hardly coastal. Water makes the grassy and ethereal notes stand out. Mouth: strong attack with sharp peat and lemon juice. Quite salty now, a bit too salty even. Some peppery notes (the spiciest of the three OB’s I’m comparing). Water brings out the oak and adds grassy notes. Finish: long, smoky, quite dry and salty.

I would call this “the grassy one”. Its mouth-feel is hotter than the other two (could the extra 3% really make such a difference?) and you feel a certain powerful roughness, even at 24 years. It shows more peat than the other two which could be a plus for some people. An extra point for the farminess. Extinct.