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port ellens 200th anniversary

Port Ellen 200

PORT ELLEN MARKS MILESTONE 200TH ANNIVERSARY

One year on from the opening of a re-envisioned distillery on Islay, Scotland, Port Ellen whisky celebrates 200 years.

Ini Archibong in a room sitting on a couch looking out the window

PORT ELLEN 2025

This year marks 200 years of Port Ellen whisky, and in celebration of this milestone, trailblazing plans for its next chapter are revealed. New whisky trials are underway, to explore the nuance of smoke in Scotch Whisky – a signature project entitled “Atlas of Smoke”. Port Ellen will share its latest discoveries generated from the project, illustrated through contemporary artistic commissions, including by Ini Archibong, bold new tasting experiences, and future Single Malt Scotch Whisky releases

Three glasses of Port Ellen whisky on a wooden table

PIONEERING EXPERIMENTATION

Port Ellen whisky-makers are striving to build a matrix of experimental liquids, investigating the intricacies of every part of the process that affects the flavour of smoke, from peat levels to distillation cut points. The standout one-of-a-kind Ten Part Spirit Safe, unveiled at reopening in March 2024, allows distillers to access unexplored flavours like never before. While standard distillery spirit safes allow for three cuts of the spirit run – the head, the heart and the tails - the Port Ellen Ten Part Spirit Safe allows multiple cuts to be drawn from the heart of the run, accessing previously unexplored flavours and characteristics, and takes the whisky-making art to new levels of intricacy and complexity.

By pushing the boundaries of whisky distillation, Port Ellen aims to explore new and mysterious dimensions of smoke. Alongside distillation of Port Ellen’s iconic traditional smoky spirit in the Phoenix stills, the Experimental stills, the second set in the still room, will be working to lay a pipeline of Port Ellen’s pioneering investigations in whisky-making. These experiments will form the next chapter of Port Ellen, and the Atlas of Smoke.

Aimée Morrison, Master Blender

"It is a great honour to help take Port Ellen into its third century of whisky making. Through collaboration of Port Ellen’s team, technical experts and whisky specialists; experimental hypotheses have been created which all look at different aspects of flavour within the world of smoke as we currently understand it. Smoke as a signature of Port Ellen is an aroma that encompasses such a broad spectrum of flavour, be it wood smoke, medicinal essence, salinity or embers from a fire. Through experimentation we hope to learn more around the intricacies of Port Ellen’s quintessential character. We look forward to sharing elements of the results of these investigations with guests at the distillery, from the Pagoda room where we will house a liquid library of our findings."

Ini Archibong in a room sitting with a glass of whisky

NEW RELEASE BOTTLINGS AND CONTEMPORARY CREATIVE ARTWORKS

Inspired by this ongoing experimentation, renowned creative and Port Ellen collaborator Ini Archibong will produce a new installation inspired by Port Ellen’s story and his interpretation of the nuances of smoke, to be unveiled at the close of this celebratory year. Ini previously created a piece for the brand named “Dram and the Water” which accompanied a cask of Port Ellen 1979, auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2022 for over $1,000,000. His next creation for Port Ellen will live at the distillery and represent a legacy linking the past with a vision of the future.

Diageo will also donate a one-off Port Ellen whisky release, encapsulated in a sculpture, to be auctioned for The Distillers One of One charity this October, with more detail soon to be revealed. The artworks and releases are designed to celebrate this anniversary year, the bright future of Port Ellen, and share interpretations of the nuances of smoke and its significance in shaping Port Ellen of past and future.

Aimée Morrison, Master Blender inspecting a glass of whisky

DISTILLERY EXPERIENCES

A highly limited number of places will be available for exclusive flavour-led distillery experiences during Fèis Ìle in late May. Visitors will have the opportunity to witness the journey towards experimentation first hand and taste early results of Port Ellen’s Atlas of Smoke experimentation, alongside historic samples of iconic Port Ellen releases and new collaborations which will encourage festival goers to further explore flavour.