Douglas Laing Port Ellen 25yr 1983 Old Malt Cask Whisky Review
This one comes from before the split of the Hunter brothers business into Hunter Laing and Co (who have Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare .etc) and Douglas Laing & Co (Old Particular, Provenance, Big Peat). At one time this was available in a certain Aussie retailer for under $150. Imagine that…
Notes
Eye: Light
Nose: Maritime infused smoke. Lightly sweet.
Palate: Initially sweet with a drying ash smoke hit. Some citrus there but much more restrained than the Port Ellen I have tried in the past.
Finish: Classic Port Ellen. Smoke and ash just linger. Oils are there and it has a great mouthfeel. Citrus is low but maritime is high. As it says on the bottle this one is a little dry on the outset but its that ashy salty kind of dry finish, and it works really well in my opinion.
Details
Distillery: Port Ellen
Age: 25yr’s Old
Region: Islay
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Distillation Date: February 1983
Bottling Date: October 2008
Limited: One of 609 bottles
ABV: 50.0%
Fantastic stuff. Glad I have one of these in the archives for a special occasion. To date most Port Ellen I had tried had a stronger citrusy lemon, which I love. But this was different, much more maritime and much less citrus. One to really remember.
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Sláinte!