Port Ellen 25 Years Old, Special Release 2005

Tasted in Whisky Magazine Issue 54 by Arthur Motley and Owen Barstow.

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Tasting Notes

Arthur Motley Nose Germolene, whiteboard marker pens, tarry rope, and blackberries. Undiluted there is a light vegetal note that becomes silagey with water. Palate A lovely viscious texture at cask strength, with dark chocolate melting in pools of sweet, peaty butter. Finish Incessant phenols that cling till breakfast. Comment Old, intense and busting for an olifactory fight. Complex and grizzly, like Clint Eastwood in The Unforgiven.

Owen Barstow Nose A dry smokiness with toffee and biscuit undertones. Maybe the brief tang of tropical fruits at the end? Pineapple? Palate Sweet at first, then drying. Honey and lemon. Salty mango lassie? Finish Oily and warming. Well structured phenols lead to a delightful wood smoke conclusion. Comment Well balanced and well structured. Instantly appetising.