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Photo: Diageo
Iain ‘Pinkie’ McArthur surveyed the glittering new Port Ellen Distillery with an air of quiet pride. The Islay icon, whose work in the whisky industry spans more than 50 years, had been the last to fill a cask at the former distillery before it was dismantled after shuttering in 1983.
Over four decades later, the former Port Ellen warehouseman returns for the opening day of the former ghost distillery, along with the descendants of Port Ellen’s founding father, John Ramsay. “The closure of Port Ellen was part of a dark time for this small island community, and the silence of this site has been a constant reminder of that. Toasting to future Port Ellen next to spirit once again flowing through its stills felt like such a poignant closing of that difficult chapter, says Emily Burnham, the distillery’s brand home host.
First established on Islay in 1825, Port Ellen Distillery was primarily a workhorse producer that made its distinctive, smoky whisky for blending. After closing, however, Port Ellen expressions, which made their way into independent bottlings, became eagerly sought by aficionados and collectors for their character and rarity, prompting owner Diageo to announce its revival in 2017.
Port Ellen Distillery’s original whitewashed warehouses. (Photo: Diageo)
The return of Port Ellen Distillery is part of the beverage behemoth’s £185 million ($315 million) investment in Scotch distilleries and experiences, which saw similarly mothballed distillery Brora reopen to global fanfare in 2021.
Unlike Brora, which retained its original Victorian style along with a pair of lovingly restored copper stills, the new Port Ellen is strikingly modern. Save for the pagoda and warehouses, little of the original distillery remains, and the design of the newly refurbished distillery has been given a radical reimagining.
Master blender Aimée Morrison says: “To see the efforts of so many people come to life with spirit flowing from the stills was a magical moment. There were lots of emotions experienced while taking the first steps through the doors, but pride was definitely an overwhelming feeling.”
Future-proofed touches
Phoenix stills in the glass stillhouse. (Photo: Diageo)
The distillery’s gleaming, transparent glass stillhouse, which offers a sweeping view of Islay’s stunning south coast, could be mistaken at first glance for an avant-garde art museum. Built from the ground up with innovation and experimentation in mind, it’s also future-proofed to be adaptable.
A retractable stillhouse roof, for instance, allows the copper pot stills to be accessed more efficiently for maintenance and repairs. The entire distillery is also designed to be carbon neutral. Energy is drawn from renewable sources, including liquid biofuel, and an on-site laboratory allows the whisky to be analysed in-house, reducing the environmental impact of shipping samples.
Port Ellen master blender, Aimee Morrison. (Photo: Diageo)
The towering Phoenix stills, meticulously and exactly replicated from archival plans, produce the whisky house’s new spirit. A set of smaller but identical stills running alongside are tasked with more experimental expressions, allowing the distillery to chart an “Atlas of Smoke” and explore the many facets of its characteristically smoky flavour profile.
“Each element of the production process at Port Ellen allows us to innovate from day one. With an on-site laboratory, we can delve into scientific research to examine the possibilities of this legendary Islay malt and better understand how the nuanced flavours from cask-to-cask shine in different ways, with the rolling smoke weaving its way through the heart of Port Ellen,” adds Morrison.
Paying homage to heritage
Port Ellen Distillery glass stillhouse. (Photo: Diageo)
Port Ellen was the first distillery in Scotland to export whisky to North America as early as 1848. At the new facility, it carries on its pioneering heritage. Legend says it was the first distillery in Scotland to house a “spirit safe”, a glass and metal device used to analyse the quality of the distillate as it left the still.
Now, its groundbreaking Ten Part Spirit Safe will allow its distillers to divide the run into 10 parts, giving them the opportunity to take multiple cuts from the heart of the run, accessing previously unexplored flavours and characters, and taking the whisky-making art to new levels of intricacy and complexity.
“The 10 parts are classified as seven receiving tanks, instead of the more traditional three, plus three intermediate spirit receivers (ISRs), rather than the more commonly found one,” explains master distiller Ali McDonald.
Port Ellen Gemini, a twin 44-year-old release. (Photo: Diageo)
Whisky enthusiasts will be able to witness the precise mechanics in person and meet the team with guided tours through the distillery, as well as monthly open days from this June onwards. Those on The Atlas of Smoke private tour, only bookable via the Diageo Private Client team, will also get the rare opportunity to taste the twin 44-year-old Port Ellen Gemini expressions.
Photo: Diageo
Says whisky expert Charles Maclean: “The expression has classic Port Ellen character, and its surprisingly high strength for its age lends vitality to both aroma and taste.” On the other hand, the Port Ellen Gemini Remnant was finished in a Remnant cask.
The prized cask, which had been under the care of McArthur since the distillery’s closure, had touched the spirit of a large number of filling runs from the distillery, imbuing the whisky with the rich notes of sea salt, smoke, dried fruit, and oak. With only 274 sets available worldwide at £45,000, the Gemini is also one of the distillery’s rarest releases.
