第一手分數...讓我賺一下吧.....Port Ellen 1th ~9th average is goods

第一手分數...讓我賺一下吧.....Port Ellen 1th ~9th  average is goods

May 25, 2010

Exclusive - Our reporters on Islay try the Nine Official Releases of Port Ellen (they are clearly spoiled, aren't they!)

Angus reports:

This amazing Port Ellen tasting was organised for the benefit of Marie-Curie Cancer care. Heartfelt thanks to John and Dick of the great Fiddler’s Whisky Bar in Loch Ness for organising such a wonderful experience.

Port Ellen 1^st release. 79/01. 56.2%
N: Clean, sweet, maritime and citrus.
P: Rich peat oils, saltiness, a little bitterness, soft heather and lemon rind.
F: Sweet and a little short.
Angus: 89 Geert: 87 Patrick: 89 Luc: 88 Dirk: 87 Billy: 86 (average 88)

2^nd Release. 78/02. 59.35% (very precise)
N: Oily hessian, dunnage warehouse, fish nets, creosote, some tarryness. Quite a lot of typical coastal characters.
P: Very oily and clean, big citrus fruit notes. Good development but with a little astringency. After a while some petroleum character comes through, lots of gasoline and paraffin, very expressive.
F: Longer this time, buttery and some sweetness now. Still lots of citrus but leaves quite an acidic aftertaste.
Angus: 87 Geert: 86 Luc: 86 Patrick: 88 Dirk: 84 Billy: 87 (average 86)

3^rd Release. 79/03. 57.3%.
N: First a little dirty but soon develops lots of old engine oil, kelpie and mineral character. A very precise profile, very pure, lots of black tea, lime juice, more minerals and flints. Finally some fruit, white stone fruits and flowers.
P: Classic PE, oily, maritime, lapsang suchong, seaweed, salt, kippers, minerals, fruit. Very fresh and invigorating.
F: Long, oily and salty. Great Port Ellen, balanced, complex and very clean.
Angus: 90 Dirk: 89 Patrick: 90 Luc: 91 Geert: 91 Billy: 89 (average 90)

4^th Release. 78/04. 56.2%
N: Quite fresh, zingy and fruity. Good expressiveness. Some smokiness in this one with good minerality, very dry.
P: Farmy, some dirtiness, quite astringent and ashy with a lemony sooty combo. Quite bit unexpected and out of sync with the nose
F: Has a medium length finish but it feels a little empty, very drying. Not as good as 3.
Dirk: 84 Angus: 84 Luc: 86 Patrick: 87 Geert: 87 Billy 89 (average 86)

5^th Release. 79/05. 57.4%
N: Fresh citrus fruit, a touch of tropical fruit this time, lychee, lots of coastal notes but overall not too complicated.
P: Very peppery and a little burning. Again very oily with more citrus and even some resinous character, sultanas. After a while there is something vegetal, its quite alcoholic really, probably needs water.
F: Decent length but a little bitter, quite medicinal and herbaceous.
Angus: 85 Patrick: 87 Geert: 86 Dirk: 84 Luc: 87 Billy: 87 (average 86)

6^th Release. 78/06. 54.2%
N: Another very clean, pristine profile. Very saline and mineraly. Starts to develop some fruit after a few minutes. Very nice.
P: Some cereal and waxiness in this one, more big oiliness and citrus fruit. Not overcomplicated but some very precise and beautifully pronounced flavours.
F: Long, lemony, clean and mouthwatering. No flaws and very drinkable.
Angus: 90 Geert: 90 Patrick: 91 Dirk: 90 Luc: 92 Billy: 90 (average 90)

7^th Release. 79/07. 53.8%
N: Quite a lot of fruit this time, maybe some maltiness and even a little vanilla. Some old, oily, minerally, citrus, seashore aromas bubbling underneath.
P: Very soft, deft phenols and subtle fruitiness. Big rich oily peat. Not so dry and salty this one, the age is starting to show. Incredibly drinkable. Very well integrated and very harmonious.  
F: Long, lingering, peaty finish with a waxy preserved lemon tang. This one is easily our favourite so far.
Patrick: 93 Luc: 94 Geert 94 Angus: 91 Dirk: 92 Billy: 93 (average 93)

8^th Release. 78/08. 55.3%.
N: A little sour, green apples, minerals, quite carbolic and dry, not much else happening.
P: Quite sharp, very peppery again, burning. Not very complicated.
F: More sharpness, quite big but tempered by some pleasant fruitiness.
Angus: 84 Patrick: 85 Geert: 83 Luc: 83 Dirk: 86 Billy: 85 (average 84)

9^th Release. 79/09. 57.7%
N: Super clean, mineraly and coastal. Hits of fruit underneath the age, maybe even a little cocoa dust. Waxy, old leather chairs, damp hessian, beautiful gentle seashore, wet pebble beach character.
P: Very big waxy lemon flavours, thumping big dollops of peat oil, some Moroccan spice notes and quite some tarryness.
F: Long, seaweedy and heathery. A really beautiful, old fashioned and unsexy Port Ellen. (my favourite of the night although some of us preferred 7)
Geert: 93 Luc: 92 Dirk: 91 Patrick: 92 Angus: 93 Billy: 93 (average 92)

And now…. The Super Port Ellen !!! A vatting of all nine releases.
N: Flints, minerals, seashore, heather, some white fruit. Seems to combine the best of all.
P: Big oiliness but gentle. Has some of the oily phenolic character of the older editions at the front but then a sudden big saltiness at the back.
F: Powerfull! Long, spicy, salty and dry. Seems to be very well integrated after a marrying process of only 3 minutes.
Angus: 90 Patrick: 90 Luc: 90 Dirk: 90 Geert: 90 Billy: 90 (average 90)
Comments: So what have we learned? Our favourite of the whole range is the 3^rd, 7^th and 9^th editions. The 1^st edition is not as good in our opinion as everyone seems to say. And it is possible to become ‘Port Ellened’ out. Time for a pint! - Angus

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