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Next Auction starts Friday 29 March. Bottle Deadline: 18 March.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask #1301 / Feis Ile 2008

Lot: 326107

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask #1301 / Feis Ile 2008

Winning Bid: £7,000

Currency Estimate

Important: Currency exchange rates are constantly changing; this feature is to be used as a guide price only. All final transactions occur in British Pounds (£).
Lot:
Distillery: 
Port Ellen
Age: 
N/A
Vintage: 
1981
Region: 
Islay
Bottler: 
Official
Cask Type: 
Refill American Oak
Bottled Strength: 
54.7%
Bottle Size: 
70cl
Distillery Status: 
Closed
product Details

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask #1301 / Feis Ile 2008

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo then bottled the first publicly available distillery bottlings as part of the Rare Malts Selection, followed by the annual special releases.

Arguably one of the rarest Port Ellen around, this official bottling was released for the Feis Ile in 2008 and sold out instantly. A 1981 vintage was the only official single cask offering from Port Ellen for a long time. It was distilled on 15th April 1981 and bottled in 2008. The single ex-refill American oak cask #1301 yielded only 220 bottles.

Feis Ile, also known as the Islay Festival of Music and Malt had humble beginnings. It traces it origins back to 1985 and the establishment of The Islay Festival Association after it was realised that an event celebrating Gaelic, music and culture would drive tourism to the island. The inaugural event was rtwo weeks of music, drama and workshops with ceilidhs, concerts and dances in the evening. The first whisky tasting took place as a festival event in 1990, and ten years later the island's distilleries began to be directly involved, organising their annual open days to coincide with it. Today it is one of the biggest events on the whisky calendar, annually drawing hundreds of revellers, and turning out an increasingly sought-after batch of limited edition whiskies like this.

This bottle is being sold from the Pat's Whisk(e)y private collection which, numbering in excess of 9,000 bottles and over 2,000 miniatures, is the single largest collection of whisky ever to be brought to auction. Pat's Whisk(e)y is the result of over fifteen years of passion and dedication to the goal of creating one of the most complete libraries of whisky and whiskey ever amassed by an individual collector. It contains bottles from over 150 different Scottish distilleries, as well as bourbon, rare Scotch releases from sought-after independent bottlers in Europe, and whisky from other distilleries across the globe. Whisky Auctioneer is delighted to have partnered with Pat's Whisk(e)y to offer this collection across a number of exclusive and spotlight auctions. For more information, please click here.

Important Notice

We would recommend viewing/close inspection prior to placing any bids. If this is not an option and you have questions beyond the offered description and images, please contact us for a more in-depth condition report. Otherwise lots will be sold as seen in the images.

Please note: Due to the various ages of bottles and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion and no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.