Port Ellen 18yo 1979/1988

Port Ellen 18yo 1979/1988

Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - Islay
Golden
61.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Grapefruit, dates, fish sauce, smoke, lemon juice, pomeloes, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper. With water, grapefruit, pomeloes, white pepper, fish sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, volatile, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Smoke, blueberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper, dates, green tea, leather, peat. With water, pomeloes, grapefruit, green tea, white pepper, candle wax. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, dates, green tea, pomeloes, candle wax. 

Comments: 

Tasting a Port Ellen is a rare treat these days, of course. This one is citrusy and savoury, with a peppery, smoky edge. It’s not like others I’ve had, the smoke is rather restrained and gentle. It’s ‘lickable smoke’, as a fellow taster put it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.