Port Ellen 28 Year Old 1982 for QV.ID

I prevously praised the Coal Ila and Bowmore that were released by Belgian bottler QV.ID, but this was the first release by Koen: a 28 Year Old Port Ellen.

Initially, the nose is very sweet with a lot of vanilla and young apples. I thought this was a sherry cask? Some marzipan and chestnut, but the sherry remains quiet. That doesn’t mean the nose isn’t wonderful. It is. Somewhat meaty with a hint of peat in the background. Some tobacco too. Soft and sweet.

The attack is big with a whole lot of peat and citrus and heavily spiced. This is a colossus. Red peppers and cinnamon. Grapefruit and smoke. Boy… this makes a man happy. Port Ellen is the sort of whisky that really ages well, I think.

The finish is long, very much so. Grapefruit and ashes, shrouded in smoke.

Koen obviously had connoisseurs on hand when selecting this cask. After the Caol Ila and the Bowmore, again this – already sold out – Port Ellen is a magnificent whisky. Well done!

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