Port Ellen: like all other Islays?

Hi! Good question as collecting the PE's are sort of a hype now. I'm not an expert, but I think the high price is mostly due to the rarity. Supply and demand. But the high demand is there partly because the taste is so very good!! I personally think if the distiller was still up, prices would be around €100 instead of the €200+ it is now. Dont forget most of them are nearly 30 yr old. Thing I wonder about is how much of it there still really is. How many yearly releases can we expect, and don't forget the stock of the independants!

Hi, I have tasted it only once. At La Maison du Whisky in Paris. The owner had a private tasting the evening before and as I discussed with him of my taste for Islay and what he might suggest for me to bring back to Quebec, he went to its back store and came back with a dram of a Port Ellen 1979 bottle in 2002 by Signatory Vintage. It was poured during their tasting and there was a little left.

This is still as of today the best dram of my life!!!! He completely made my day !! However, I did not taste a lot of Islay's 23 years old so it won't be fair to compare it to a Ardberg 10 or even a Lagavulin 16. The balance and complexity was so nice that I regret that I did not buy it at this time. It was over 170 euros. It is so ashame that Port Ellen is closed caused it looks that they had good malts. To me, it was closer to Caol Ila than Ardberg or Laphroaig. More a salty peat than a earthy peat.

This prices are high and they will only go up as the stocks become rarer. Unfortunately !

@Kutter Was the one you tasted perhaps the same one as in my Cabinet? I know there is another Signatory around that can still be found but it is said to have more sherry influence.