The Aberdeenshire based spirits specialist, Duncan Taylor,
has today announced the launch of a rare and limited-edition Port Ellen
bottling.
Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare Port Ellen 40 Year Old (52.4%
ABV) is a single malt Scotch whisky, which was distilled on March 16th 1983,
and matured in a European oak ex-Sherry butt.
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| Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare Port Ellen 40 Year Old |
This limited release of 209 bottles comes from cask number 667, which was one of the last batches of Port Ellen produced, before the distillery closed its doors in May 1983. Stored on Islay until 2010, the cask was then laid down to finish maturing in the vaults at Duncan Taylor’s HQ in Aberdeenshire.
Founded by Alexander Kerr Mackay in 1825 on Islay’s southern
coast, Port Ellen was named after the nearby town and became an innovator in
the whisky industry with great success exporting to the United States. Impacted
by Prohibition, the distillery initially fell silent for 37 years from
1930. It was then resurrected in 1967
due to the demand for peated whisky when it expanded from two to four
stills.
Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare Port Ellen 40 Year Old, is
said to deliver notes of treacle toffee, leather, blackberries and strawberries
drenched in cream, zesty citrus, waxy comb honey, sea spray, kombu kelp, seashore
pebbles and sherried fruits on the nose. Followed by notes of dark treacle toffee,
fruit, pecan nuts, leather, cloves, caraway, a distant driftwood bonfire on a
salt drenched seashore, fruity chutney and spearmint on the palate.
Commenting on the launch, Euan Shand, Duncan Taylor
Chairman, said: “When I bought the company from Abe Rosenberg’s family back in
2001, the inventory was incredible, with some amazing rare and old whiskies. The
casks of Port Ellen were ones that really stood out for me as something special
and we’ve patiently waited for them to mature, bringing that rich, dark colour
to the liquid. The cask has created an
evocative whisky that embraces the peat from the kilns and the brine of the
sea, alongside a succulent rich, fruity base. It’s one of the finest whiskies
we’ve launched this year and that’s saying something.”
Ian Logan, Senior Hospitality and Spirits Manager for Duncan
Taylor Scotch Whisky will launch the Port Ellen 1983 at the Whisky ‘Old &
Rare’ Show in London this weekend.
Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare Port Ellen 40 Year Old,
will be available from select specialist retailers, including The Spirits
Embassy, for a RRP of £5,700.
Posted by Steve Rush