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 on 2 February 1983, a few weeks before the distillery was permanently closed. Matured in Wine Treated Butt #231 and bottled by Scottish independent bottler Signatory Vintage on 9 April 2010. A single malt aged for at least 27 years and limited edition of 501 bottles worldwide. Bottle equipped with a cork stopper and transparent foil seal. Cask Strength Collection was the first range launched in 1988 when Signatory Vintage was established. It opened with Glenlivet 1968 (a blend of two casks, 5868 and 5877), bottled in April 1989. This first wave is known to collectors as the “Vintage Collection - Dumpy”, which saw top distilleries and vintages bottled as simply as possible, at cask strength, without the addition of caramel and without chill-filtration, from Laphroaig 1966 to Ardbeg 1967, Glenfarclas 1959 and Macallan 1949. The bottle has since changed, but the spirit remains the same.