Johnnie Walker Ghost & Rare Port Ellen

$564.99

The 2nd edition of Johnnie Walker's Blue Label Ghost & Rare series is out, the Port Ellen edition. The blend is built around the cult closed distillery of Port Ellen and two closed grain distilleries: Caledonian and Carsebridge. Single malts from 5 other distilleries were also employed in the blend: from Mortlach, Dailuaine, Cragganmore, Blair Athol and Oban.

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: sherried, oily and fruity; polished church pews, tropical fruit punch and clean-softly peated smoke; a touch meaty, savoury, maritime and unctuous; Eatmore and Fruit Source bars.

Palate: round, chewy and fudge-y; more tropical fruit punch, loads of molasses and waxy oak; layers upon layers; very chocolatey: more Eatmore and chocolates infused with sea salt, salted caramel and bacon; loads of fruits too, mostly on the dried and dark end of the spectrum; a touch of Christmas cake too; the smoke is soft and elegant with gentle late oily peat.

Finish: medium in length, oily, maritime and fruity with elegant smoke at the very end; like the nose and palate, it is very layered and complex; lovely. 

Comment: it will be a long time until we see a Port Ellen in the sub $600 range again, maybe when they release their first 3 year old in the 2020s ;); in the meantime this is a very well composed blend, made all the more interesting by the inclusion of a dash of Port Ellen; but that may be understating Port Ellen's role in the blend, as the only Islay malt there must have been more than a dash included...

94pts Whisky Advocate

"This uninhibited, tempestuous expression of Blue Label highlights the artistry of the blender through the judicious use of closed distillery malts and grains. Coastal notes of sea spray, lemon, dirty peat smoke, cookies and cream, After Eight mints, caramel, and dry-roasted spice aromas. Combining lemon bonbon, waxy orange, cookie dough, fondant icing, and chocolate, with tobacco smoke, hints of peppermint, and grapefruit notes, this flagrantly outclasses the Brora variant.'

Producer Description

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Ellen is the second in a series of special releases crafted using irreplaceable “ghost” whiskies and other incredibly rare whiskies from the Johnnie Walker Blue Label reserves. At the heart of this limited edition lies the highly sought-after Islay single malt, Port Ellen - a ‘ghost’ distillery that shut its doors in 1983.

For Johnnie Walker Master Blender, Dr. Jim Beveridge, the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare series is an exciting exploration of flavour. Jim says: “These whiskies deliver a fascinating glimpse into another world, exploring the unique, inimitable character of whiskies from a small number of iconic, closed distilleries that lend something very special to every drop of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.”

In crafting Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Ellen, Jim blended the highly sought-after ghost whiskies from Port Ellen, Caledonian and Carsebridge, with five incredibly rare malts from Mortlach, Dailuaine, Cragganmore, Blair Athol and Oban.

The result is a whisky with layers of creamy vanilla sweetness and rolling waves of waxy citrus, rich malt and tropical fruit notes - all perfectly balanced by the distinctive maritime smokiness of Port Ellen that lingers in, the long and warming finish.

750 ml

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