Port Ellen 20 years 1978 Of. Rare Malts Selection Natural Cask Strengh - bottled 1998 Limited Edition

  • 60.90% | 
  • 0.70L

A Port Ellen 20 year old distilled in 1978 and bottled at cask strength in 1998 for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, includ…More info

Lot description

  • Distillery: Port Ellen
  • Appellation: Single Malt Whisky
  • Country/Region: Scotland , Islay
  • Quantity: 1 Bottle
  • Level: 1 low-shoulder
  • State: 1 slightly marked label, 1 slightly bin-soiled label

You would love these

  • Smoked and Salted Toffee Apples 27 years 1989 The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask n°29.234 - One of 368

    Smoked and Salted Toffee Apples 27 years 1989 Th...

    €800
  • Port Askaig Of. 100° Proof

    Port Askaig Of. 100° Proof

    €33
  • Port Askaig 19 years Speciality Drinks (50.4°)

    Port Askaig 19 years Speciality Drinks (50.4°)

    €110
  • Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 15.3 - The Impossible Equation Release 2024 Limited Edition

    Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 15.3 - The Impossib...

    €130
  • Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 07.3 Islay Barley 2010 Limited Edition

    Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 07.3 Islay Barley 2...

    €150
  • Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 06.3 Islay Barley 2009 Limited Edition

    Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 06.3 Islay Barley 2...

    €250
  • Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 01.1

    Octomore 5 years Of. Edition 01.1

    €400
  • Laphroaig Of. Cairdeas Port Wood Edition Friends of Laphroaig

    Laphroaig Of. Cairdeas Port Wood Edition Friends...

    €120
  • Laphroaig Of. Cairdeas Madeira Cask Friends of Laphroaig

    Laphroaig Of. Cairdeas Madeira Cask Friends of L...

    €100
  • Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 2 Malt Building an Icon The Ian Hunter Story

    Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 2 Malt Building an I...

    €700
  • Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 2 Malt Building an Icon The Ian Hunter Story

    Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 2 Malt Building an I...

    €700
  • Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 1 - Unique Character The Ian Hunter Story

    Laphroaig 30 years Of. Book 1 - Unique Character...

    €500
  • Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2021 Edition Cask Strength

    Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2021 Edition Cask Strengt...

    €280
  • Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2021 Edition Cask Strength

    Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2021 Edition Cask Strengt...

    €280
  • Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2020 Edition Cask Strength

    Laphroaig 25 years Of. 2020 Edition Cask Strengt...

    €200

Fine Spirits Auction price estimate
Port Ellen 20 years 1978 Of. Rare Malts Selection Natural Cask Strengh - bottled 1998 Limited Edition

Fine Spirits Auction Price(1) corresponds to the hammer price and the buyer's premium charged by the auctioneer. (1)

Fine Spirits Auction Price(1) corresponds to the hammer price and the buyer's premium charged by the auctioneer. (1)

  • Current Price Estimate

  • €934
  • - (Highest price)
  • - (Lowest price)

Latest auction prices

  • 03/10/2025 €953
  • 02/08/2024 €1,192
  • 08/12/2023 €1,370
  • 03/06/2022 €1,711
  • 11/02/2022 €1,888

Do you own this spirits?

Sell It Here!

Lot presentation
Port Ellen 20 years 1978 Of. Rare Malts Selection Natural Cask Strengh - bottled 1998 Limited Edition

Cuvée presentation

A Port Ellen 20 year old distilled in 1978 and bottled at cask strength in 1998 for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, including some of the lesser known whose production was generally used for blends, as well as closed distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Bottled at cask strength, the whiskies in the range are also known for their sometimes astounding alcohol content, often exceeding 60% ABV. The Rare Malts range was discontinued in 2005. Two versions of Port Ellen 1978 were produced for the Rare Malts Selection, this one at 60.9% and another bottled at 60.5% in 2000.

The distillery Port Ellen

Founded in 1825 by A. K. Mackay & Co. on the southern coast of the Isle of Islay, Port Ellen came under the control of John Ramsay in 1836, a period during which the site notably contributed to the development of whisky exports to North America. The distillery became part of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925 and subsequently underwent a prolonged period of closure before returning to production in the late 1960s. Primarily operated to supply malt whisky for blends, Port Ellen ceased distillation in May 1983 as part of a broader rationalisation of Scotch whisky production capacity. Stocks distilled before the closure continued to mature and were subsequently bottled, notably through Diageo’s Special Releases, which included seventeen annual Port Ellen editions between 2001 and 2017. After more than forty years without production, Diageo officially restarted distillation at Port Ellen in March 2024. The rebuilt facility incorporates two pairs of stills: the “Phoenix Stills”, designed to replicate the stills used before the 1983 closure, and the “Experimental Stills”, combined with a spirit safe designed to allow more precise separation of the different fractions of the spirit run. Bottlings drawn from historical stocks therefore originate exclusively from spirit distilled up to 1983, while production resumed in 2024 represents a distinct new period in the chronology of Port Ellen.

Report a problem with this lot ? Report

Detailed characteristics

  • Distillery: Port Ellen
  • Vintage: 1978
  • Bottler: Of.
  • Age: 20 years
  • Appellation: Single Malt Whisky
  • Country/Region: Scotland , Islay
  • Alcohol percentage: 60.90 %
  • Volume: 0.70L
  • Quantity: 1 Bottle
  • Level: 1 low-shoulder
  • State: 1 slightly marked label, 1 slightly bin-soiled label
  • Case: Yes
  • Origin: Private individual
  • Recoverable VAT: No
  • Color: Brown

Sell

Buy

Add to my collection

Expertise

Expertise

100% of the whiskeys and spirits offered appraised by our specialists. Guarantee of authenticity

Storage & Delivery

Storage & Delivery

Storage in our warehouses, secure packagings, delivery with insurance

Security

Security

Guarantee on the conduct of the auction and the regulations provided by the presence of an auctioneer