Overall rating
88.00/100
votes
9
Whiskybase ID
WB3092
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Douglas Laing (DL)
Bottling serie
Old Malt Cask
Vintage
01.1979
Bottled
12.2000
Stated Age
21 years old
Number of bottles
462
Strength
50.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Added on
18 aug 2008 12:11 pm
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredSingle Cask Whisky

Average value

€ 1303.69

3 × in wishlist

9 × member ratings

10 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Port Ellen 1979 DL

3 users have left 4 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 88.00 points.

  1. hs305 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    [April, 2017]  My last saved sample from this bottle goes into another Port Ellen head-to-head tonight - this 21 year old DL release from 2000 and the Pe3 release from 2010 (WB id 18670).

    Again two very nice Port Ellen bottlings, both very easy to sip and an adventure to explore...
    • Nose
      90 90
      Both have a golden colour with the DL being 2-3 shades darker. Typical PE nose on both drams with this slight metallic (coppery) aroma that is the PE trademark. No other whisky got this (at least I have not found one up to today). Very nice mix of sweet barley, peaty and maritime notes with the DL being more peatier and slightly more complex. I give this round to the DL.
    • Taste
      88 88
      The Pe3 owns a broad profile on floral and maritime aromas (beside the peat and maltiness). The DL is more delicate but less powerful too. It takes a while to detect all the flavours there, somehow it is all mingled altogether. An interesting puzzle. Nevertheless I prefer the more powerful Pe3 in this round. With water the DL gets smoother without loosing its power, I like it that way better. The same is true for the Pe3 with the only exception that the slightly bitter notes during the finish get more dominant.
    • Finish
      90 90
      Good mouthfeel on the DL but the Pe3 is much richer and coating. Clear winner here is the Pe3. The Finish is long and very balanced with the DL, not drying at all. Contrary to this the Pe3 adds some bitter/drying notes over the finish that nevertheless is very impressive. But the DL is more adorable here.

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  3. Jackson05 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    Hey wow what are the odds; unbeknownst to me Hs305 did the same side by side. What a crazy coincidence, I too did this one beside the PE3rd edition. It’s hard enough these days to try 2 different Port Ellen’s in any context, let alone the same ones.

    Enough rambling, I too agree the PE 3rd wins this battle easily. A few too many flaws in this one, although still solid. You’d be disappointed shelling out auction prices for it, frankly.
    • Nose
      Newspaper, dusty, bung cloth, lemon zest over seashells, wool sweater.
    • Taste
      Clean, inky, ash, marshmallow, it’s not perfect though. A few spikey flavour transitions. Mouthfeel is a little sharp.
    • Finish
      A little floral here, with powdered detergent. Capers, brine, lemon juice, seashells, ink.

  4. PEATYBOI scored this whisky 89 points Expert Junior

    A legendary Islay distiller that is about to be revived by Diageo. Diageo makes fantastic special release bottlings from Port Ellen (albeit horrendously priced) and I was interested in seeing how this single cask bottling would match up. Let's see...

    On the nose, aromatic flora and vanilla sweetness stand out in the foreground. Peat smoke is also apparent but is elegantly presented (a rare style seen in modern day Islay bottlings). This nose is certainly sweet-driven and suspiciously similar to the nose of older Laphroaigs (if you were to take away the iconic medicinal and iodine notes from a leapfrog).

    On the palate, more floral-driven and some vanilla extract. Mellow peppery notes can also be detected. Also some biscuit on the side as well. An elegant and patient delivery of all these profiles to the palate. An easy going dram.

    The finish is medium to long and transitions to drier finish, almost medicinal (Leapfrog?????).

    This was nice but there are better bottlings of Port Ellen to be had out there. When you are paying this much to acquire a bottle of Islay history, it is better for us to be picky.

  5. hs305 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    [July, 2016]  Together with friends I emptied a bottle that I bought for 97 Euro in July, 2006.

    In my old rating system (ten scales that translate into WB points: 50 - 66 - 75 - 80 - 82,5 - 85 - 87,5 - 90 - 92,5 - 95) I scored this 87,5.  Please see detailed review below.

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