Port Ellen 1983 / 14 Year Old / Hart Brothers Islay Whisky

Gianluca Ferro — A ghost worth chasing

8/10

Finally got to try this at a friend's tasting night and it lived up to the Port Ellen mystique. Big peat smoke on the nose but it mellows into this lovely maritime salinity with dried fruit underneath. At 43% it's surprisingly approachable for an Islay of this era — I sipped it neat and didn't want it to end.

Priya Sharma — Great whisky, brutal price

7/10

Look, this is a solid 14-year-old Islay with that classic Port Ellen coastal character and a nice oily texture. Smoked fish, iodine, a hint of vanilla from the cask. But £900 for a Hart Brothers bottling at 43%? You're paying for the closed distillery tax more than what's in the glass.

Clara Johansson — One of my all-time favourites

9/10

I bought this years ago when it was still somewhat affordable and I've been nursing the last few drams. The peat is refined, not a sledgehammer — more like smouldering embers with lemon peel and a whiff of old leather. Fourteen years was a sweet spot for Port Ellen. Every time I pour one neat I remember why I fell in love with Islay whisky in the first place.