Two centuries is a long time for anything, let alone a distillery whose name has come to symbolize both the romance of lost whisky and the resilience of Islay’s rugged coastline. Port Ellen Distillery, shuttered since 1983 and revived by Diageo last year following a £185 million ($235m) restoration, has announced the release of a 42-year-old single malt to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The whisky is distilled in 1983, the very year the stills fell silent, making this release something like a bridge between eras.
The First Limited Bottling Since Reopening
When Port Ellen re-opened its doors in March 2023, whisky enthusiasts from Tokyo to New York spoke of it as a resurrection. This new 42-year-old, known officially as The Port Ellen 200th Anniversary Edition, is the first limited bottling to leave the distillery since then. Just 150 bottles will be made available in October, priced at £7,500 ($10,000) each. The release underscores Diageo’s commitment to making Port Ellen not just a name spoken of in hushed tones, but an active participant in Scotch whisky’s present.
A Whisky That “Embodies the Essence” of Port Ellen
Master blender Aimée Morrison describes the bottling as a liquid expression of Port Ellen’s soul. On the nose and palate, drinkers can expect an interplay of peat smoke and berry fruit, layered with caramelising brown sugar, red apple skin, and a whisper of black peppercorn. The finish, as Morrison puts it, allows the smoke to “climb into the distance,” a tasting note that seems as much landscape as flavor, evoking Islay’s peaty air fading into the Atlantic.
Rarity, Collectability, and Context
Scarcity has always been part of the Port Ellen mythology. The distillery remained silent for 40 years, its remaining stock commanding astronomical sums at auction. That Diageo would choose to release just 150 bottles for such a landmark occasion reinforces the notion of Port Ellen as both an artwork and a whisky. For serious collectors, the £7,500 price point positions this release alongside other icons of the ultra-luxury whisky space.
Beyond the Bottle: Art and Auction
The 200th anniversary is not confined to whisky alone. Port Ellen has commissioned American-Nigerian artist Ini Archibong to create a new installation at the distillery, part of a broader vision to fuse whisky-making with contemporary art. This comes on the heels of Prism, the distillery’s oldest single malt to date, unveiled last month. That whisky, housed in a sculptural artwork, has been donated to Sotheby’s Distillers’ One of One charity auction, where it is expected to fetch up to £300,000 ($406,000).
Availability
The Port Ellen 200th Anniversary Edition will be available beginning in October, either by appointment at the Islay distillery itself or through Diageo’s private client team in Scotland. With so few bottles released, the window of opportunity is narrow. For those fortunate enough to secure one, the purchase will be more than a bottle of whisky—it will be a piece of Port Ellen’s living history.
For more information, head over to the distillery’s official website.
