Port Ellen distillery

Port Ellen distillery is located in Port Ellen on the isle of Islay, Scotland.

Port Ellen distillery

Region: Islay
Owner	Diageo
Founded	1825
Status	Active
Water source	Leorin Lochs
No. of stills	2 wash 2 spirit
Capacity	2.7 ML
Mothballed	1983 - 2024

Port Ellen distillery reopened in 2024 after being closed since 1983.

History

Port Ellen was established as a malt mill in 1825 and then developed as a distillery under John Ramsay from 1833 to 1892. The warehouses he built still exist and are listed buildings. ^[1]

The distillery was acquired by The Distillers Company (DCL) in 1925, was closed in 1930, and then rebuilt in 1966/1967. It continued in production throughout the 1970s and was closed in 1983, although supplies of its single malt whisky are still available. ^[2]

When Port Ellen was closed in 1983, DCL knocked down some of the buildings, repurposed others, and destroyed the stills. The distillery houses a malting which continued to supply all Islay distilleries, as per an agreement signed in 1987.^{[citation needed]} After the closing of the distillery, the remaining dwindling stocks of Port Ellen whisky became a collectors item.^[3] Its original product was for blended Scotch, but since its closing, the whisky matured into single malt whisky.^[4]

On 9 October 2017 Diageo, DCL's successor, announced that the distillery would reopen in 2020, following a £35 million investment in re-opening both Port Ellen and Brora distillery in Sutherland, which also closed in 1983.^[5] Diageo suggested the first new release might be of a 12 year old expression, i.e., in 2032, but have left the door open for possibly earlier releases. On 8 May 2019, Diageo submitted plans to revive the distillery and to build a new stillhouse.^[6] Diageo reported they were going to considerable efforts to recreate as similar as possible new stills, using factory records from the 1980s, as well as having former Port Ellen employees working for them elsewhere on Islay to assist in an accurate recreation of the Port Ellen style.^[5]

The Distillery build was under the management of Alexander McDonald, an Islay resident with previous positions held in Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Caol Ila distillery.^[7] In 19 March 2024, Port Ellen distillery reopened 40 years after having been closed and undergoing a £185 million (US$235m) restoration.^[8]

In 2022, a rare 1979 cask of Port Ellen whisky was auctioned by Sotheby's for £875,000. It was sold in a lot which included an artwork in Murano glass by artist and designer Ini Archibong. Diageo announced that five percent of the hammer price would be donated to support Care International's work in Ukraine.^[9][10]

Port Ellen now has whisky that is currently maturing, the Port Ellen Gemini, drawn from three 1978 European oak casks.^[11]