Port Ellen 13th Release 34 Years Old 55% 1978

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Serge Valentin (93)

Colour: full gold.

Nose: we aren't far from the 1977, but this one's more polished, a notch rounder, a tad gentler despite the higher strength. Surprisingly gentle, in fact, even a little simple, but that lasts only for one minute, and then it takes off like an albatross, slowly and surely. Brine, lemon juice, engine oil, liquid tar, wet wool, paraffin, orange wine, a drop of balsamic vinegar, moss and mushrooms, maybe fresh parsley. After five minutes, there are more and more notes of mead and it's even a little acetic, in a good way. No straight vinegar! Also cold smoke (cigar). With water: ha! Used fireworks, humus, burnt wood (pine, beech) and green tobacco. The smoke from Kretek cigarettes (tobacco and cloves, that's what you can smell in just any Indonesian street). This one makes you travel.

Mouth (neat): oh but it's not an old, quiet one! Starts 'nervous', as lemony as a youngster, even a notch fizzy, with peppers and bitter herbs just below the surface. Some unexpected notes of cider and apple peel, lemon zests, playful green peppercorns, citrons... Did they throw a small cask of Rosebank into the vatting? With water: it's the Ziegfeld Follies in a swimming pool, this time water works magnificently. Now, what's interesting is that it's rather brown sugar and even sweet barley that come out, which makes it unexpectedly rounder and gentler.

Finish: long, kind of smooth, with some sort of smoked cider as well as smoked and salted fish.

Comments: maybe not as 'immediate and unquestionable' as earlier releases, and certainly not as 'bigly tarry' as middle-aged PEs such as the Rare Malts and such, but it's another magnificent old PE for sure. It's just got a little less Port-Ellenness, if I may.