Port Ellen distillery

Port Ellen distillery is located in Port Ellen on the isle of Islay, Scotland. Established in 1825 and closed more than once, it reopened in 2024 after having been closed since 1983.

History

Port Ellen was established as a malt mill in 1825 and then developed as a distillery under John Ramsay from 1833 to 1892. The warehouses he built still exist and are listed buildings. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The distillery was acquired by The Distillers Company (DCL) in 1925, was closed in 1930, and then rebuilt in 1966/1967. It continued in production throughout the 1970s and was closed in 1983, although supplies of its single malt whisky continued to be available into the 21st century.<ref>Diageo booklet, Special Releases, 2012</ref>

When Port Ellen was closed in 1983, DCL knocked down some of the buildings, repurposed others, and destroyed the stills. The distillery houses a malting which continued to supply all Islay distilleries, as per an agreement signed in 1987.Template:Citation needed After the 1983 closure, the remaining dwindling stocks of Port Ellen whisky became collector's items.<ref name="Ghost">Template:Cite news</ref> Its original product was for blended Scotch, but from 1983 onwards, the whisky was matured into single malt whisky.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 9 October 2017 Diageo, DCL's successor, announced that the distillery would reopen in 2020, following a Template:GBPTemplate:Nbspmillion investment in re-opening both Port Ellen and Brora distillery in Sutherland, which also closed in 1983.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Diageo suggested the first new release might be of a 12 year old expression, i.e., in 2032, but left the door open for possibly earlier releases. On 8 May 2019, Diageo submitted plans to revive the distillery and to build a new stillhouse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Diageo reported they were going to considerable efforts to recreate as similar as possible new stills, using factory records from the 1980s, as well as having former Port Ellen employees working for them elsewhere on Islay to assist in an accurate recreation of the Port Ellen style.<ref name=":0" /> The distillery revival was under the management of Alexander McDonald, an Islay resident with previous positions held in Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Caol Ila distillery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2022, a rare 1979 cask of Port Ellen whisky was auctioned by Sotheby's. It was part of a lot that included an artwork in Murano glass by artist and designer Ini Archibong and sold for Template:GBP. Diageo announced that five percent of the hammer price would be donated to support Care International's work in Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 19 March 2024, the distillery reopened 40 years after having been closed, and following the completion of the revival work, which had ended up costing Template:GBPTemplate:Nbspmillion (Template:US$Template:Nbspmillion).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2025, the Port Ellen 200th Anniversary Edition, the distillery's first release since reopening, was announced. Limited to just 150 units worldwide, it was to be available for purchase from October 2025, priced at Template:GBP (Template:US$) a bottle.<ref name="cna l 2025-09-09">Template:Cite web</ref>

Port Ellen now also has whisky that is currently maturing, the Port Ellen Gemini, drawn from three 1978 European oak casks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bibliography

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