Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo

Single-handedly kept afloat by the leading players in the independent bottlers market until the early 21st century, Port Ellen owes its salvation to the growing fervour of fans of peated whiskies. Like many distilleries a victim of the 1980s recession, Port Ellen closed in May 1983, never to distil again. It was in 1998, 15 years after its closure, that its owners bottled two limited versions, one celebrating the 25th anniversary of the eponymous maltings, and the other for the Rare Malts Selection. It would then not be until the turn of the millennium that Port Ellen would be awarded a finally crafted regular bottling, focusing on the years of production 1978 and 1979.Paradoxically, the youngest versions are the hardest to find, such as the Signatory Vintage Black Ceramic 10 Year Old and 13 Year Old. Although most were bottled at 40-43%, they still offer the chance to experience the spirit's profile without the wood having too much influence. In any case, the oldest vintage still available today from a handful of collectors is a Port Ellen distilled in 1967 or 1968 (the distillery was mothballed from 1929 to 1 April 1968), aged 12 years old and produced to mark the Queen's visit to the distillery on 9 August 1980.

An Islay single malt distilled at the Port Ellen distillery by Low Robertson & Co Ltd, aged for at least 18 years and bottled in 2000 by the Scottish independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. After being mothballed in 1929, Port Ellen was reopened in around 1966/1967, increasing its number of stills from two to four. It was during this period that its operating license was granted to Low Robertson & Co until it closed in 1983. From this period, only one official bottling is known, a 12 year old version commemorating a visit from the Queen to the malting facility adjoining the distillery in August 1980. The Connoisseurs Choice range was introduced in the early 1970s for the Italian Edoardo Giaccone. It was then widely used by Gordon & MacPhail from 1978-1979. Over the decades it underwent several changes. This version, known to collectors as the “Map Label”, was used from 1997 to 2007. Bottled equipped with a cork stopper and gold foil seal.