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.

A Port Ellen 27 year old single cask (#6101) distilled in 1983 and bottled in 2010 by Douglas McGibbon for the Provenance Collection. Douglas McGibbon & Co is a family-owned business created in 1947 by the husband of the granddaughter of Douglas McGibbon, a Scotsman from Islay who moved to Glasgow in the 1890s. It became a subsidiary of Douglas Laing in 1950. In addition to the blend of the same name, Douglas McGibbon had for a long time been responsible for the Provenance range. When Douglas Laing’’s two sons Stewart and Fred split in 2013, however, everything was redistributed. The Provenance range went to Douglas Laing, now managed by Fred Laing, and other ranges like the Old Malt Casks went to Hunter Laing, the independent bottler founded by Stewart Laing. Douglas McGibbon now bottles the Clan Denny range.