Port Ellen 1978

Overall rating
92.13/100
votes
244
Whiskybase ID
WB3486
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie
Rare Malts Selection
Vintage
1978
Bottled
10.1998
Stated Age
20 years old
Strength
60.9 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Bottle code
SD729
Barcode
5000281014876
Added on
01 sep 2008 3:44 pm
Non-chillfilteredCask Strength

Average value

€ 2420.92

82 × in wishlist

244 × member ratings

366 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Port Ellen 1978

30 users have left 38 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 92.13 points.

  1. vlad78 scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    Delicious honey and fruit aroma. Subtle smoky notes that do not distract, but emphasize the taste. A long, long, beautiful aftertaste.
    • Nose
      93 93
      Fruit and honey with a little smoke. A little lime.
    • Taste
      94 94
      Sweet fruit, a little salted caramel, more sugar and more salt
    • Finish
      93 93
      Very sweet, and very long finish, with a little salt in aftertaste

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  3. WLGOAGN scored this whisky 93 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      93 93
    • Taste
      94 94
    • Finish
      93 93

  4. hyc scored this whisky 90 points Expert Senior

    Smell ---------------------- 91
    Flavor--------------------91
    End rhyme--------------------90

  5. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    Port Ellen H2H - 5 x Official Releases v 5 x Independent single cask offerings

    I like Port Ellen just as I like Brora, with both distilleries you can find some superb independent bottlings. With Brora there are also plenty of not so good IB but in my experience nearly all Port Ellen IB, especially those that are single cask, cask strength offerings nearly always are pretty good to excellent.
    In summary I expected The Bottlers offering to be very hard to beat and so it turned out, with the GM offering just behind but also excellent. It was also no surprise to me that the best of the official bottlings was the first RM bottle, the 20 year.
    I like the Official Port Ellens but they just lack a bit of sparkle compared to the best IB single casks.
    I liked the 8th Release better than most people do, it suited my palate and I think it is as good as the 10th Release which up until now was my favourite of the annual releases
    Tasted OB/IB/OB/IB and so on

    IB-1982 19 year 61.7% The Bottlers cask 570 -WB 2262- 92/94/95
    IB-1980 16 year 64.4% cask 5105-5110 GM WB 81216 – 92/94/94
    OB-1978 20 year 60.9% Rare Malts WB 4386 - 91/93/92
    OB-1978 29 year 55.3% 8th Release – WB 3994 – 90/93/92
    IB-1983 28 year 58.9% cask MoS 11011 Malts of Scotland WB 26723 – 91/92/91
    IB-1983 28 year 55.5% cask S1462 Silver Seal WB 30832 – 90/91/91
    OB- 1979 30 year 57.7% 9th Release WB 10610 – 89/91/90
    OB-1978 27 year 54.2% 6th Release WB 409 – 88/89/91
    IB-1979 36 year 56.6% cask 10914 Douglas Laing XOP- WB 73383 – 90/87/88
    Extra OB 7th Release 70cl 53.8% WB 638 – 89/88/87
    IB-1979 36 year 56.6% cask 10914 Douglas Laing XOP- WB 73383 – 90/87/88
    OB-1979 28 year 54.7% 7th Release (20cl bottle) – WB 17018 – 88/87/86

  6. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    Re taste for a PE H2H, tasted with a few tiny drops of water.
    Nose
    The nose is like a rock pool, great stuff.
    Brine, peat, seaweed, bitter lemon, grapefruit and the faintest touch of lime but also hints of the sherry used.
    More like the peat you get in a good Caol Ila than a Laphroaig or Lagavulin
    Palate
    Lovely, creamy peppery peat, that assaults your tongue, then the brine comes in with a cracker biscuit note, the creamy lemon and grapefruit notes is overrun by the peat but the overall effect is really good.
    The finish has more pepper and a slight overripe fig note but just great.

    My last score of 90 was too stingy up to 92 average

    .
    • Nose
      91 91
    • Taste
      93 93
    • Finish
      92 92

  7. DimiIkon scored this whisky 92 points Expert Senior

    Tasting: April 2021
    • Nose
      A truly sensational nose! Full of mature pears, green apples, and sweet citrus. Dark malt, bread that was just taken out of the oven and a delightful smoke.
    • Taste
      Ripe fruit, full of sun drenched pears, black tea, and mild spices. Very creamy, with forest honey and oak wood. Then there is the complex and beautiful peat and smoke. Big body in great harmony!
    • Finish
      Long, very long! With heat and full of spices. Beautiful aroma, dry and with black tea again. Then black pepper corns and rosemary. All together with sweetness and fine peat. A truly remarkable dram!

  8. whisk_guy did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    0.3 left
    Glassware: Tall Tulip
    Colour: Pale Amber

    Tasted from Club Qing event
    Not quite detail :(
    • Nose
      Vanilla, sprite, light chamomile, fruit tea, bbq meat, mild peat, hints of cigar and mineral
    • Taste
      Full body, honey, nectar, cinnamon, tropical fruit, light mineral and nuts
    • Finish
      Honey, smoky, lavender

  9. dram-drinker scored this whisky 94 points Photo Moderator

    It's a little peat and fruit bomb - really good sweetness - I like it - no water needed - delicious!
    • Nose
      93 93
      Very citric, vanilla, minerals, limestone, little leafy, green fruits, honeydew, wet hay, also a few other citrus fruits, orange zest, lime, banana, spices, peat, smoke, ham and bacon - great!
    • Taste
      95 95
      Oily, creamy, sirupy, good sweetness, honey, tropical fruits, pineapple, passion fruit, ripe banana, pean and smoke, spicy, little ginger, peppery, woody, and again fruit juice and so on - superb!
    • Finish
      94 94
      Long, warm, fruity, spicy, still sweet, fine peat and smoke, not drying - excellent!

  10. Jour.Ray did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    No 3568 was sold empty on ebay in May 2021

  11. VISION_CHEN scored this whisky 93 points Expert Junior

    Smell: The elegant smoke, aromatic petals, light roasted cinnamon sticks, and citrus notes always attract me, occasionally revealing a hint of tropical fruit, and the aroma of bread, the wine is clean and vibrant. Like a very popular elegant gentleman at a dinner party, his sleeves are always straight, the perfume is just right, and a warm smile.

    Drink: A full oily feeling, the aroma continues to rise in the mouth, opening, the magnificent fusion of citrus and fruit flavors (orange and pineapple), and the light smoke enriches the taste bud experience.

    Feeling: You can capture most of the prey in the flavor map in this great bottle of Porter Allen. There is a high balance between flavors, a very good experience.

  12. DrunkDude scored this whisky 91 points Expert Senior

    good shit.
    • Nose
      91 91
      The peat, Slightly malty, burnt cinnamon smoke, under it we find juicy pineapple, and orange. Adding 3 drops of water, I get baked bread, lavenda, sea salt. Fruity aroma, porridge, with boiled apples, not nutty. 91
    • Taste
      91 91
      Oil body, porridge texture, dried Plum sour, lemon sour, vinegar sour, burnt honey or burnt sugarcane, seasoned with rich black pepper salt. Rich citrus with its peel, I see lemon and orange, both overripe, seasoned with hints of charred juicy pineapple 91
    • Finish
      92 92
      Extreme fennel, sea salt, white peppers, biscuits, malty, thick woody tannin coating the tongue. 92

  13. hhc1212 scored this whisky 97 points Expert Senior

    Very nice balanced port Ellen. A combination of slight apple peel, smoky, leathery, fruity taste, magnificent !!

  14. Whisky.Hedonist.MY scored this whisky 91 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      91 91
    • Taste
      92 92
    • Finish
      90 90

  15. checkpointrk scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      93 93
    • Taste
      94 94
    • Finish
      93 93

  16. Jack Marinello scored this whisky 92 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      Peat, lemon, bread crumbs, brown sugar.
    • Taste
      Peat, lemon, sugar, farm, acidulous fruits. Alcohol very well integrated!
    • Finish
      Long, persistent. Beautiful !

  17. aphex scored this whisky 92 points Connoisseur

    Great archetypal Port Ellen. Simply loved it.
    • Nose
      Gentle nose. Light peat smoke, maritime notes with seaweed and brine, smoked fish, lemons and grapefruits, pepper, leather and a little bit of tar. A sweet and tart feeling too. Love this nose.
    • Taste
      Punchy, peppery, gingery and peaty with a spoon of honey. Citruses with lemons and oranges, leather and big smoke.
    • Finish
      Long, juicy, lemony, smoky and spicy.

  18. checkpointuk scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    https://kaypingers-whiskyblog.de/frontend/fullarticle.php?id=317 Color: pale gold / yellow Nose: salty-spicy-maritime! Finest lemon, slices of lime and grapefruit, cayenne pepper, smoky leather (saddle), some cardboard and a mild, slightly porky sweetness, which is refined with a little vanilla. After some time in the glass, the grapefruit aromas are more and more in the foreground and also a great peat note, which enhances this beautiful nose again. Taste: Full power! Spicy-peppery-spicy and loaded with a decent portion of peat. A honey-sweet fruit note with lemon, lime, avocado, a little vanilla, dry leather and again and again with these dominating phenols - great! Finish: Very long - spicy avocados, leather, some wood and smoky peat in combination with fresh herbs. 93 points N: 92P / G: 94P / F: 93P

  19. jocmueller did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    Bottles # 1359 and # 2891 sold empty at ebay.

  20. LiquidThoughts scored this whisky 94 points Connoisseur

    An absolutely wonderful PE, my dearest so far, but I always get weak as soon as I find something of tea in the whisky. ;)
    • Nose
      Surprisingly aromatic, pear, jasmine and green apple, lavender, a little grapefruit and a hint of algae, but far behind, beautiful dark malt, fresh organic spelled bread from the bakery, some lemon cake and teenagers, very mature, takes a lot of time in the glass
    • Taste
      Beautiful overripe fruit, pear, red apple, bitter orange, black tea (and I love tea in whisky), Earl Gray, freshly prepared brown bread, forest honey with all sorts of herbs, nutmeg, oregano, clove, jasmine, lavender, black pepper, very light salt notes , Heidewiese, Harz, very round and varied at the same time
    • Finish
      Very, very long and aromatic left, now less to no fruit, dry, tea, malt, some pepper and rosemary

  21. Allandale scored this whisky 92 points Connoisseur

    Body: Lightly oily.
    • Nose
      More assertive. Appetizing and arousing. Bay trees. Seaweed.
    • Taste
      More expressive, fruity, dryish flavours. Fruity olive oil. Parsley.
    • Finish
      Salty. Smoky. Oaky. Extremely peppery.

  22. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    OB Port Ellen H2H result :-

    1st -  12th release 

    2nd - 2nd Release 

    3rd - 1st Release 

    4th - 22 year Rare Malts 

    5th - 20 year Rare Malts 

    6th - 3rd Release

    See thread

    https://www.whiskybase.com/contribute/group/73/topic/16768/the-head-to-head-whisky-thread-for-tastings-h2h?page=3

  23. stefsel111 scored this whisky 94 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      93 93
    • Taste
      94 94
    • Finish
      95 95

  24. hs305 scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    [April, 2002]  I had another dram during a Grant Carmichael tasting while cruising the river Rhine aboard MS Godesia. 

    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 90. My notes state a golden colour and a heavily oily body.  The nose shows some fine aromas of a dark chocolate.  On the palate stronger peaty flavours combine with minor sherry aromas.  There are some slight bitter notes too.  The finish is of medium length.  Be careful with water as the bitter flavours get more dominant that way.  I liked it best when neat. 

  25. hs305 scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    [October, 2000]  I had my first dram during a Port Ellen rarities tasting at Rolandsbogen. 

    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 92,5 points.  Unfortunately no additional notes were taken.By the way, at this tasting you could buy this excellent Port Ellen bottling https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/1927/port-ellen-1981-tb for 189 Deutschmark (95 Euros), or this breath-taking Brora https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/2388/brora-1981-tb for just 10 Deutschmark more (99 Euros). 

  26. checkpointuk scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    http://kaypingers-whiskyblog.de/frontend/fullarticle.php?id=234 Color: pale gold
    Nose: Maritime, peppery seasoning with lemon and grapefruit until it stops. Smoky-sweet malt with nutmeg, cayenne pepper, red peppers and wet ash. After prolonged breathing more and more muffled, green fruit flavors with peat, tar, leather and paper cardboard.
    Taste: Powerful, creamy, spicy and fresh. Full power on a smoky-peaty base with not too bulging lemon and grapefruit. Rather again the stubby note of the avocado, sweet smoky malt, caramel, lime, a little vanilla, tanned leather, honey and a lot of peaty phenols.
    Finish: Very long and pretty awesome! Fresh, fruity, peaty, smoky and sweet, but also dull and creamy at the same time. Delicately dry and spicy ending without recognizable woody flavors.
    93 points (nose: 92 / taste: 93 / finish: 93)

  27. WhiskyLovingPianist scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    ‘A plethora of complexity’
    N: A youthful 20yo but with subtle hallmarks of maturity. Let’s get riffin’. We start with salty mussels laid besides an oak counter strewn with smoked ham & horse meat and a fruit side dish concoction difficult to pin down. Tangerines possibly, oven-baked cherries, roasted leeks & limes, sweet courgettes…. its one to sit down with for a long while. Theres also patience required to take in the array of sugars that sit somewhere in the ‘plethora of complexity’ - theres the headline!
    T: It’s hard to describe what comes in first and second, and third, and,….. theres so much going on so quickly. Its thick and heavy stuff on the palate and adding a little water helps bring out the oily, diesel-oaken mouthfeel. Not an easy drinker this. If you’ve had a hard day you may be better off with the equally fabulous Balvenie 30 WB.
    F: It settles enough to acknowledge the ever-present smoke - smouldering log stuff here with general motors a little witch-hazel.
    C: It’s not just the strength or the legacy that make this a ‘big’ malt. I’d add that its not THE most indicative example of the PE style [in my modest experience], but it is hugely indicative of Islay, [pre-TCP] Laphroaig especially and somewhat Octomor-ish too although without the big vegetal notes. Then again, it is in fact nothing like any other distillery but Port Ellen, so there’s full circle for you - oh and it’s great.

    Scores an A[-]

  28. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    I think this PE demonstrates that some whisky can improve with breathing, this one definitely improved with time.

    The PE Rare Malts bottles up until about 18 months ago were a relative bargain compared to the Annual releases but now unfortunately the prices are rising quickly.

  29. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      92 92
    • Taste
      92 92
    • Finish
      91 91

  30. lincolnimp scored this whisky 91 points Connoisseur

    As good as I remember it. This is the bottling that certainly got Port Ellen noticed to the masses.
    • Nose
      Lemon, grapefruit, lime, a little brine and the peat is definitely in the background.

      Treacle tart notes add to the sweetness and there is some tar in the mix.

      Finally smoked meat but only in the background.
    • Taste
      Very powerful initially and it explodes on your tongue but soon settles down on sweet peat and biscuit notes.

      There is a slight oaky bitterness but it is masked by the peat. Chewy caramel, a little carrot cake and lemon puff biscuits.
    • Finish
      Not as long as some PE but its smooth on creamy peat.

  31. Peter87 scored this whisky 93 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      93 93
    • Taste
      94 94
    • Finish
      93 93

  32. JacobaEd scored this whisky 90 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      91 91
    • Taste
      93 93
    • Finish
      90 90

  33. Hvdree scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      92 92
    • Taste
      95 95
    • Finish
      94 94

  34. Armin Fuchs scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    This was my first Port Ellen - - -

    I really don't understand what the 'legend' Port Ellen could be … -

    I'm sure it's MY fault.

    For me this is a high quality dram - but it is not extraordinary.

    Especially not worth the high prices!

    Most of my Longrows give me much more. Sorry folks!
    • Nose
      Alcohol at the beginning, salt water, grassy, lemon juice, maritime, pear juice, some peat, pineapple (tart), smoke, ash, coal, some sweetness, white unpolished pebbles, peat fields, motor oil, Diesel, plums at the beach, seeweed at wet rocks, spikenard, apple drops, fuel, caramel sweetness, milk chocolate,  leather, coleslaw, peas (vegetable stew), coniferous forest with garlic, sharp tonic
    • Taste
      tart peat, lemon juice, clear motor pol, sour, leather, tart smoke, sweetness, some apples, grassy, pure peat, medical, phenolic freshness, salt, some '87-Longrow reminding coniferous component, dark chocolate, orange chocolate, pepper, sour green apple with thick peal, salt water waves, hints of Franzbranntwein
    • Finish
      wood, much lemon, dark choco sweetness, extremly smoke, tart plums (pickled), motor oil, much salt, gum, peat smoke, peppermint, apple vinegar,  apple drops, Brandy beans, black pepper, salt water again

  35. Armin Fuchs scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    Tasting with FineSpirits_butler1 at 'Helmsdale's' Tokyo 2015.
    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      91 91

  36. FineSpirits_butler1 scored this whisky 90 points Expert Senior

    Really enjoyed this single dram with Armin Fuchs.

    Intense maritime character with light leather, salt, peat, and grassy notes.

    Real maturity and expression!
    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      91 91
    • Finish
      92 92

  37. Prof.Schoof did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    This Whisky was sold for 722 € at Whiskyauction in Feb. 2015

  38. zby0001 scored this whisky 93 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      94 94
    • Taste
      95 95
    • Finish
      93 93

  39. Drochaid scored this whisky 93 points Connoisseur

    One of the stellar PE Rare Malts releases that catapulted this obscure

    distillery to fame in the late 1990s. A legendary bottling.
    TWE

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