Port Ellen 25 Years Old & Rare The Platinum Selection Cask DL3478 57.5% 1982

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

Colour: amber. Nose: this one starts all on coffee and dark chocolate, with a slightly subdued peat once more but a very obvious smokiness. More wood smoke that is... Then a little orange liqueur, pepper, dried Chinese mushrooms (the large black ones), gunpowder, maybe a little rubber (but I wouldn’t say this is sulphury), prunes... Let’s see what happens with a little water: big notes of pencil shavings do arise, as well as a little shoe polish and pipe tobacco. A little drier. Mouth (neat): it’s truly one of these peat’n’sherry monsters, with a huge attack on caramel and pepper, maybe a tad cloying that is. Oily mouth feel. Goes on with a continuous fight between the thick sherry (orange liqueur, prunes, chocolate, blackcurrant jam) and the peaty and slightly bitter pepper. Hot, quite immense but maybe not too subtle... With water: drier, more on coffee, soy sauce, salty liquorice and balsamic vinegar. Finish: very long, with a balance that’s perfect now. Comments: nobody won the fight. This is a rather extreme – and sulphurless - sherried Port Ellen

BOW (92)