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

Port Ellen 12 Year Old James MacArthur Cask Strength 59%

Lot: 333192

Port Ellen 12 Year Old James MacArthur Cask Strength 59%

Winning Bid: £30,000

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: 
12 Year Old
Vintage: 
n/a
Region: 
Islay
Bottler: 
James Macarthur
Cask Type: 
N/A
Bottled Strength: 
59%
Bottle Size: 
75cl
Distillery Status: 
Closed
product Details

Port Ellen 12 Year Old James MacArthur Cask Strength 59% 

James MacArthur & Co were founded in 1982 and are a no-frills independent label, focussed bringing lesser-seen and often closed distilleries to the market. Their simple approach and fine selection of cask strength and single cask whiskies has earned them an army of fans amongst connoisseurs across the world.

This whisky is from the same batch that was bottled for Scoma in Germany, which is one of the rarest and most sought-after bottlings of Port Ellen. These are part of a handful of (fairly ordinary on the surface) Scotch whiskies to have gained a near-mythical status simply due to the quality of the liquid.

Bottled a few years after the distillery's closure, this expression was released by James MacArthur at 12 years of age. This 'dark sherry' version is legendary, and scored an impressive 98 points from Serge Valentin on WhiskyFun.com. 

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 have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt.

Important Notice

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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.