Port Ellen 21 Year Old 1982 Vintage
70cl / 50%
£1800 Last one
| Country | scotland |
| Region | Islay |
| Established | 1825 |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Type | Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery |
| Number of stills | 2 wash stills, 2 spirit stills (plus experimental stills) |
| Visitor center | Unknown |
| Status | Active |
| Phone | n/a |
Port Ellen Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in the town of Port Ellen, on the Isle of Islay, Scotland. It was founded in 1825 and is currently owned by Diageo, having reopened for production in 2024 after standing silent for four decades. Port Ellen is unique among Islay distilleries for having been closed and mothballed for over 40 years while its pre-1983 stocks became some of the most sought-after and expensive single malts in the world, making its 2024 revival one of the most closely watched events in modern Scotch whisky.
Port Ellen traces its origins to 1825, when a malt mill on the site was developed into a working distillery. From 1833 the operation was substantially built up by John Ramsay of Kildalton, a prominent Islay landowner and whisky pioneer whose warehouses on the site survive today as listed buildings. The distillery passed through several owners before coming under the control of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925, the forerunner of today's Diageo.
Port Ellen's history has been marked by two closures. Production first halted in 1930 during the industry downturn of the interwar years, before the distillery reopened in the mid-1960s (1966/1967) and was rebuilt with new stills to meet growing demand for blended Scotch. It closed again in 1983 amid a broader industry slump that shuttered several Scottish distilleries, and its original stills were subsequently destroyed. For over four decades the site continued to operate as Port Ellen Maltings, a large-scale malting facility that has supplied malted barley to Islay's other distilleries under a long-standing industry agreement dating to 1987.
The whisky already maturing in warehouses at the time of the 1983 closure went on to become legendary among collectors: Diageo released small annual batches under the "Port Ellen" name as part of its Special Releases series, and finite stocks made these bottlings increasingly rare and valuable as the years passed. This scarcity, combined with the distillery's reputation for a distinctive smoky, maritime, medicinal Islay character, cemented Port Ellen's status as one of the most celebrated "ghost distilleries" in Scotch whisky.
In 2017, Diageo announced plans to rebuild and reopen Port Ellen as a working distillery, part of a wider investment in mothballed sites including Brora. Following a construction and restoration programme reported at around £185 million, Port Ellen distillery officially reopened on 19 March 2024, installing new stills built to replicate the shape and character of the originals alongside a set of experimental stills for research into new spirit styles. Production resumed with an annual capacity of roughly 2.7 million litres, drawing process water from the Leorin Lochs above the town.
Port Ellen does not yet have a conventional widely-distributed core range, as new spirit distilled since the 2024 reopening is still maturing. The distillery is instead known for its long-running annual Port Ellen Special Releases, ultra-limited cask-strength bottlings drawn from the dwindling pre-1983 stock, prized by collectors for their smoky, briny, medicinal Islay profile. To mark the distillery's bicentenary, Diageo released the Port Ellen 200th Anniversary Edition in late 2025, a strictly limited run of 150 bottles offered at a premium price. Future core releases from the reopened distillery's own production are expected once the new-make spirit reaches maturity.
Port Ellen distillery is located at Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, Scotland, PA42.
Port Ellen distillery was founded in 1825.
Port Ellen distillery is owned by Diageo.
Port Ellen distillery is from Islay, scotland.
You can buy Port Ellen whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock 1 bottle with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
Last reviewed:
70cl / 50%
£1800 Last one
About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.