Port Ellen Distillery — Local services in Islay

Its reopened and you can tour it, but its a unique and expensive beastie.

The new place is fantastic, the still set up with “normal” and experimentation stills is probably unique (well I’ve never seen anything like it) and the wackiest spirit safe you’ll ever see. A mill that's not red, whatever next !.

However, the stills have only just started running, so you get to nose the still spirit captured through various stages of the head run, which I’ve never done before and to see casks 1 onwards from the first run in the warehouse space.

Our tour guide, Sarah, was great and seemed as enthusiastic about the place as we were. The whole thing is fascinating, but given there is no whisky, the only thing to drink is old Port Ellen, so 45 year old cask, which contributes significantly to the price.

There is no visitor centre yet, so the tours are infrequent, small number limited and so the mix of rarity in tour and in the dram, you’ll be down £200 a head for the experience. So definitely not for the casual tourist, if old drams and cutting edge distillery tech are your thing, then it’s awesome.

They also do a free tour (without dram :) occasionally, so check their website for when that's on. It wasn't an option for us.

I am looking forward to my first new Port Ellen whenever they let some...

We had the free community tour which was informative and nice enough but it felt that there is no soul left. The concepts are oaky and I am curiousness what comes out of the whisky but this is clearly a modern and new destilliery and it feels like there is no connection to the past … well expect the price maybe when whisky is released. Would love to see a chance to try some older drams or new make and happy to pay for it, there is just no option for it. So while you can’t really complain about a free tour it felt like a missed opportunity by Diageo to give options to further embrace the brand. If I go to Port Ellen I personally know were I am going and I would be happy to pay 50-100 for a dram in the right environment as you already invest the...

Did the Reborn distillery tour, as a PE fan really not worth the money. 1 1/2 hour and 2 drams for £250 ok it is PE but never again.

I think that PE must visit the distillery that start’s with a K and do the £15 tour So they can see and learn how they give a tour. Whisky lovers want to come back and buy things, not want to...