Time is, in many ways, a great leveller and allows one to reflect on the past with a sense of perspective. When considering Port Ellen, Islay’s undisputed lost classic, had those in authority been able to search into the future before finally taking the decision to close the distillery back in 1983 due to economic issues, then maybe the distillery would still be producing its characterful single malt for a new generation of whisky drinkers.

Despite its closure, a small number of casks are still maturing away and today, Port Ellen has a extra special reverence reserved for it. It exudes a refined elegance unlike any other Islay malt: aromas of chamois leather, lemon zest and cracked black pepper mix with a heady phenolic smoke, to produce a whisky, which many connoisseurs consider to be one of the finest ever bottled. Truly a lost classic, never to be repeated.