Port Ellen 37 Year Old Whisky 16th Release

Part of Diageo special releases 2016. Distillery bottling, 37 years old, vintage of 1978, bottled 2016, with a total of 2940 bottles, from the Islay region.

On the nose, this Port Ellen boasts sugared almonds, chamois leather, sherbet lemons, oily smoke, a hint of empty fish tins, brine, floral heather honey and bung cloth – an avalanche of flavours which work impressively well. As things calm down in the glass, spicy rye bread, musty green ferns and touches of hay appear. 

The palate showcases a sweet and oily start, of which quickly turns to sour apples with a big kick of spice – rye bread, nutmeg and white pepper. Behind that punch are leathery notes, caramel, treacle toffee and liquorice, with dark chocolate, blackcurrant jam and oaky smoke sitting right at the back. Water brings out more spice and fruit – apple leather, black pepper and freshly scraped vanilla pods. The sweetness and spice build as it sites and not even water can hide the spicy heat. 

To finish, this Port Ellen offers driftwood, green leaves and forest ponds to start, with soft liquorice notes building before fading to sweet dark chocolate with a hint of fennel. It keeps going, fading to soft spice after a few minutes.