Distilled in 1978 and bottled at 46 years, this is the oldest Port Ellen Single Malt Scotch Whisky ever released by the distillery. Port Ellen Prism is presented as a singular 1.5-litre bespoke crystal decanter encased in a striking glass sculpture created by award winning artist Wilfried Grootens.

With a long and gentle maturation over nearly five decades, the whisky was first housed in refill hogshead casks before marrying in a refill American Oak puncheon for more than ten years. Bottled at natural colour and cask strength, 57.8% abv.

Port Ellen Prism is a visual presentation of the multi-layered depth of character of this exceptionally rare single malt. The design of the piece interprets the liquid’s depth of flavour into an artwork emanating from the core of the whisky, much like the iconic smoky character of Port Ellen. Another chapter in the Atlas of Smoke, it reflects Port Ellen’s continued exploration of smoke, the distinctive flavour profile synonymous with Port Ellen whisky.

The sculpture is made from individual sheets of precisely painted glass, bonded together and polished to optical perfection, forming a three-dimensional image that shifts appearance as you move around it. His meticulous painting of each glass layer and its effect on the overall artwork mirrors the precision in whisky making at the distillery, where small experimental adjustments in the process impact the overall flavour experience of the whisky.

The magnum sized decanter which sits at the centre of Grootens’ piece was crafted by Radley’s, scientific glassmakers whose creations are more commonly found in laboratories, and Luzzo Bespoke engineers created the aluminium elements that allow the decanter to move from the centre of the sculpture onto a separate stand.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Amber gold

Nose: Layers of flavour emanate from this expression of Port Ellen; embers smoulder, luscious fruit notes coat the palate and subtle hints of spices weave through butterscotch sweetness.

Body: A full expression with layers of flavour and character

Palate: Crushed ripened orchard fruits emerge, mingled with succulent notes of berries, cocoa and vanilla pods; layering over smouldering smoke radiating from the core.

Finish: Hints of glowing embers linger on with subtle notes of spices and luscious plump berries

Port Ellen Distillery

In 2025, Diageo celebrates the 200th anniversary of Port Ellen whisky. A year after reopening, following four decades of closure, Port Ellen celebrates a landmark anniversary and its trailblazing future, expressed through Port Ellen Prism.

Port Ellen was established on Islay’s south coast in 1825 by Alexander Kerr MacKay and soon after developed into a significant distillery under John Ramsay.

Having fallen silent in 1930, the distillery was rebuilt in 1967 to meet an expected growth in the demand for Islay Single Malt whiskies. Port Ellen Distillery produced throughout the 1970s, with most of its whisky going to blend. When the distillery closed in 1983 it had been in production for just 16 years after 37 years of closure. There was no knowledge at this stage of how well Port Ellen would age and become an iconic Single Malt. The original dwindling stocks of Port Ellen are finite and incredibly rare and have gathered Port Ellen international acclaim and following.

The re-envisioned distillery is built for the future, designed especially to push the boundaries of experimentation in Scotch Whisky. At its heart lies the stillhouse, home to two distinct still sets: Phoenix and Experimental. This dual set-up enables Port Ellen to both preserve the DNA of its classic smoky spirit and explore uncharted territory through a second, more radical distillation approach. Central to this experimentation is the ten-part spirit safe, a pioneering piece of distilling technology that allows multiple cuts to be drawn from a single run. By isolating specific moments within the distillation process, Port Ellen is uncovering previously untapped flavour layers and deepening its understanding of smoke.

This bold and scientific approach is brought to life in the Atlas of Smoke; a long-term, evolving flavour map that guides the distillery’s exploration into the intricacies of smoke in Scotch whisky. With each experiment and each release, it will grow, capturing new discoveries and deepening the understanding of phenolic complexity, texture, intensity, and balance. It is a tool of creative precision and one that underpins Port Ellen’s future.

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