Overall rating
91.19/100
ratings
29
Whiskybase ID
WB96823
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Malts of Scotland (MoS)
Bottling series
Diamonds
Vintage
1983
Bottled
2016
Calculated age
32 years
Cask Type
Bourbon Hogshead
Cask number
MoS 16055
Number of bottles
249
Strength
57.1 %
Size
700 ml
Added on
29 may 2017 6:07 pm by OpenBar_PMI
UncoloredNon-chill FilteredCask StrengthSingle Cask Whisky
Photo by Anakin
Overall rating
91.19/100
ratings
29

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Whisky reviews for Port Ellen 1983 MoS

7 users have left 11 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 91.19 points.

Read the reviews
  1. Macheye scored this whisky 91 points Expert Senior

    This 1983 Port Ellen is powerful stuff – whilst it’s had plenty of time to unwind and calm in its hogshead and therefore presents subtleties, the underlying spirit still shines through brightly here – Its big and bold, and packed full of coastal influence. I much preferred it without water at its natural strength, which was incredibly drinkable straight out of the glass.

    https://www.thedramble.com/tastings/port-ellen/port-ellen-1983-33-year-old/
    • Nose
      Immediate pronounced smoke – with a profile partway between ashy/sooty and medicinal/coastal. A fair amount of salty air and minerality gives aromas of brine, rocky beaches and seafood stock. Zesty lemons and good dose of menthol temper both the smoke and the minerality into something a little more relaxed and controlled. Complexity is driven from a host of supporting aromas – sweet coastal honey, seaweed and some underlying meatiness. Quite lovely. A few drops of water brings out real earthiness (soils and forest mushrooms) as well as a light nuttiness – walnuts perhaps. Whilst water does change the composition, despite the ABV of 57.1%, I personally preferred this unaltered – the quality of the spirit and the depth of the maturation removing any hint of bite or alcohol rawness.
    • Taste
      Fresh, zingy and somewhat belying it’s three decades of maturation. Sharp lemons and pear juice are joined by sooty and ashy smoke – less than the nose would imply – rather restrained frankly. Rock pools, seaweed, kippers and seafood place this firmly in the coastal category and merge wonderfully with the fresh fruit flavours and deep, slightly earth peat. Wood comes out to play more on the palate – both planking and a few hints of furniture polish. Overall earthiness is quite high here – soils, wet leaves, mushrooms and a hint of dunnage warehousing. The addition of water smooths out the fruit flavours (I’m not sure that’s actually a good thing in this instance) and allows the underlying medicinal peat to really develop it’s TCP and hospital qualities.
    • Finish
      Super long and straight out of A&E – surface cleaner, bandages, ointments and rubber tubing –with some pepperiness coming through towards the end.

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