On the windswept southern shores of Islay - Scotland’s most storied whisky island - lies one of the most revered names in Scotch: Port Ellen. Known for its smoky elegance and elusive rarity, Port Ellen’s journey is one of pioneering spirit, industrial tragedy, and an extraordinary rebirth. Few distilleries embody the full arc of whisky history quite like it.
A Humble Beginning with Grand Intentions
Port Ellen’s story doesn’t begin with whisky, but with trade. In 1821, local laird Walter Frederick Campbell founded the town of Port Ellen as a planned village to support Islay’s growing commerce. He named it after his wife, Eleanor. Thanks to its prime coastal location, the town quickly became a hub for shipping — and for whisky exports.
Just a few years later, in 1825, Alexander Kerr Mackay established the Port Ellen Distillery. But like many early distilling ventures, its start was rocky. Ownership changed hands several times before the distillery found stability — and greatness — under a man named John Ramsay.
John Ramsay: The Visionary Behind Port Ellen
In 1836, John Ramsay took the reins of Port Ellen and transformed it from a struggling operation into one of the most forward-thinking distilleries of its time. Ramsay wasn’t just a distiller; he was a visionary entrepreneur.
He pushed for whisky exports to the United States, well before it became common practice, and played a pivotal role in modernizing production. Under Ramsay, Port Ellen was among the first distilleries to adopt the spirit safe and to experiment with continuous distillation — both major innovations in whisky production.
Ramsay led the distillery until his death in 1892, leaving behind a legacy of quality, ambition, and progressiveness that would define Port Ellen for decades.
A Century of Highs and Lows
The 20th century was turbulent for Port Ellen, mirroring the wider Scotch whisky industry’s boom-and-bust cycles.
The distillery was mothballed during the Great Depression in the 1930s and again during the whisky downturn of the 1980s. Despite being rebuilt and modernized in 1967 to meet rising demand, Port Ellen was ultimately closed for good in 1983 by then-owner DCL (Distillers Company Limited), now part of Diageo. At the time, overproduction had saturated the market, and many distilleries were shuttered.
After closure, the site was converted into a maltings facility, which continues to supply malted barley to several of Islay’s active distilleries.
From Obscurity to Icon
As stocks dwindled, Port Ellen’s whisky became a prized relic — rare, refined, and highly collectible. Its distinct smoky, maritime character and long aging potential turned each bottle into a grail for collectors and connoisseurs.
Port Ellen quickly achieved cult status. Limited annual releases through Diageo’s Special Releases series — often aged 30 years or more — garnered critical acclaim and skyrocketing prices. Independent bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory Vintage, Cadenhead, and Douglas Laing helped keep the legend alive with rare, single-cask expressions.
A Modern Resurrection
In 2017, whisky fans received the news they'd dreamed of: Port Ellen would rise again. Diageo announced plans to reopen both Port Ellen and Brora, acknowledging the enduring legacy and unmatched demand for these iconic distilleries.
After years of meticulous restoration and modernization, Port Ellen officially resumed production in 2024. The rebirth is not a nostalgic copy of the past, but a bold evolution. While retaining the spirit and character that made its name, the new Port Ellen distillery embraces sustainable technologies and cutting-edge distillation science to meet the future head-on.
Here are a sample of some of the legendary bottlings and series from the Port Ellen archives: -
Port Ellen 1978 24yo, Whisky Shop 10th Anniversary Bottling
This limited edition 24 year old Port Ellen was distilled on the 28th March 1978 and bottled on the 20th June 2002 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Whisky Shop.
A Sherry matured single malt that is one of just 602 cask strength bottlings that were especially bottled by Douglas Laing & Co. for the celebratory occasion.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £,1666.67. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1978 35yo, Hunter Laing’s Platinum Old & Rare Selection
This super rare 35 year old Islay single malt was laid to rest at the Port Ellen distillery in September 1978 and bottled for Hunter Laing's Old & Rare Platinum Selection in October 2013.
Yielded at a natural cask strength 56.5% ABV, this is one of only 231 bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,500. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1979 18yo, G&M Cask Strength
A cask strength Islay malt that was distilled at Port Ellen on the 11th December 1979 and bottled, after 18 years of rest, in July 1998 by Gordon & MacPhail.
Taken from casks 7238-7239, this single malt scored a very impressive 92 points with WhiskyFun.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £1,250. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1979 23yo, Signatory Vintage - Cask 6774
This deeply-sherried 23 year old Islay single malt was distilled at Port Ellen on the 16th November 1979 and bottled by Signatory Vintage on the 24th October 2003.
Drawn from refill sherry butt number 6774 at a natural strength 56.3% ABV, this is one of just 359 very limited bottlings.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,083.33. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1979 30yo, Diageo 9th Annual Release
A fantastic 30 year old rare, and very collectible, Port Ellen single malt that was distilled in 1979 and bottled in 2009, as the 9th Annual Release from Diageo.
Scoring a scorching 93 points with the folks at WhiskyFun, this is one of just 5,916 bottlings filled at a natural cask strength 57.7%.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,000. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1981 11yo, Cadenhead’s 150th Anniversary
This highly sought after 11 year old Islay single malt was laid down at the Port Ellen distillery in April 1981 and bottled by Cadenhead's for their cask strength Authentic Collection in August 1992.
Drawn from oak cask at a natural strength 63.9% ABV, this rare bottling was released in collaboration with Cadenhead's 150th Anniversary celebrations (1842-1992).
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,083.33. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1981, Cadenhead’s Cask Strength - Cask 1293
This exceptionally rare Islay single malt was laid to rest at the Port Ellen distillery in 1981 and bottled for the highly collectible Cadenhead's Cask Strength white label series in the early 1990's.
Filled from single cask number 1293 at a mind-blowing 64.8% ABV.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,166.67. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1982 21yo, Old Malt Cask Bottling for The Islay Whisky Shop
A single cask 21 year old Islay malt that was laid down at the Port Ellen distillery in February 1982 and bottled for Douglas Laing's Old Malt Cask series in October 2003.
Specially selected for The Islay Whisky Shop, this sherry matured rarity is one of just 216 very limited bottlings that scored a magnificent 93 points with the WhiskyFun folks.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,083.33. Buy Here.
Port Ellen 1982, Royal Wedding Reserve Cask – Sherry Hogshead 2290
A special release for the Royal Marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on the 29th April 2011.
This Port Ellen single malt was taken from sherry hogshead number 2290, which was laid down in 1982 (the birth year of the happy couple) and bottled for The Whisky Exchange to mark the momentous occasion.
Filled at a natural cask strength 53% ABV, this Royal Wedding Reserve is one of only 213 extraordinary and very rare bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,166.67. Buy Here.
Port Ellen Distillery: A Brief Timeline of Key Moments: -
- 1825: Port Ellen Distillery is founded by Alexander Kerr Mackay
- 1836: Acquired by visionary entrepreneur John Ramsay
- 1892: John Ramsay passes away, leaving a lasting legacy
- 1925: Purchased by The Distillers Company Limited (DCL)
- 1930: Distillery is mothballed during economic downturn
- 1967: Rebuilt and modernised; production resumes
- 1983: Port Ellen is closed once again, amid industry oversupply
- 1987: Agreement signed to supply malt to Islay distilleries from the site
- 2001: The first Port Ellen Annual Release is bottled — a collector’s sensation
- 2017: Diageo announces plans to revive Port Ellen
- 2024: Production officially restarts, over 40 years after closure
Happy 200th Anniversary to Port Ellen — a name etched into whisky history. We celebrate not only the legendary spirits already in existence, but the exciting future now being distilled once more.
No longer a ghost, Port Ellen lives again — reborn, revered, and ready for a new generation of whisky lovers.
View all of our Port Ellen single malts here.