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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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December 23, 2022 |
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Tomorrow Angus will do the mother of all Springbank sessions (quite), then on Christmas day we'll have a massive Cognac session (a verticale 1948-1900!), and then we'll do quite a few time-warp sets with many prestigious oldies, as well as a massive Clynelish extravaganza (30 different ones, perhaps more). And then, we'll see, if Santa lets us live… Cheers everyone! |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
today Port Ellen |
… While Diageo are completing the building of the new Distillery. Well, 'modern-day' Port Ellen Distillery has only been functioning between 1969 and 1983, so not even for fifteen years altogether, so this won't be a real 'time-warp' session, rather another comparison between some young fresh PE and some older counterpart, bottled around ten years ago so obviously at 25 years of age, at least. |
(The last cask, at PE Maltings, 2007, WF Archive) |
We were meant to get some new PE but they never reached our doorstep. I believe we will survive. |
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Port Ellen 11 yo 1983/1995 (43%, The Cooper's Choice, VA.MA Bergamo) 
These young no-fuss PEs have become very rare but were not, as far as I can remember, exactly gathering unconditional love from the whisky cognoscenti when they were available. I for one love them, since Signatory's first 'Scottish Wildlife' at 40% vol., remember that one? Anyway, this will be as close as we can ever get to the original spirit of Port Ellen. Colour: white wine. Nose: incredible after almost thirty years in its bottle. Pure ink and tar, plus tons of damp chalk and tincture of iodine. Very pure, very fresh, with the trademark bicycle inner tubes coming through after just thirty seconds. I certainly hope those inner tubes will be there in the 'new' spirit when it comes out. Mouth: goes down like a good white Reuilly or Quincy. It's become a little greener (green peppercorns), with a little more fresh rubber as well, but this very particular mix of seawater, grapefruits and tar is soon to take the helm. Some smoked kippers are there too, some salted liquorice as well. I have to say the 43% vol. are working very well and are making this PE unexpectedly drinkable, not unlike some high-end, yet pretty easy mezcal. Mezcal from Islay! Finish: medium, really on seawater and tar. Some smoky, briney waxiness in the aftertaste. One tiny oyster too. Comments: some would regret the low strength but the very rare young PEs at cask strength (I believe most by Cadenhead) were a little difficult, only Signatory's 10 yo at 58.4% had been totally brilliant in my book. This Cooper's Choice by the excellent Vintage Malt Whisky Co was rather in the higher league, IMHO (as we used to say around when this was bottled).
SGP:457 - 90 points. |
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Pe4 (58.2%, Specialty Drinks, Elements of Islay, 2011)
One of the last Pe within this series, I believe they produced only five altogether. I'm not sure the whole series is still on; I haven't seen anything since quite some time. I hope it is, it was a brilliant idea. Colour: gold. Nose: pure thick peat smoke, burning tyres (another PE thing), then gentler roots and herbs, angelica, wild carrots perhaps, arnica, also gentle shellfish, clams, whelks, cockles and compadres. And this unusual feeling of smoked apples. With water: really on old embrocations and medicines, plus a little fish oil and a basket of old garden apples. Waxy peelings too, then this curious walnuts + curry combination that's to be found in some finos or vins jaunes. Mouth (neat): huge is the word. Rubber bands, grapefruit juice, more green peppercorns, oysters, and really a lot of tar. Thick and tight. With water: just like the 11 years old, it's full of tarry things. Do you know of any apple varietals that you could call 'tarry apples'? Finish: very long and a little sweeter, with something of Dutch-kumquat quality. Salted lemon and apple juices in the aftertaste, plus a little oak. Comments: tasting PE is slowly becoming like visiting the Louvre or any other large museum, a dive into the best of the past.
SGP:567 - 92 points. |
(Thank you Sukhinder and Chris!) |
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