Hunter Laing & Co. launch the Eidolon 36 Year Old

The family-owned Scotch whisky distiller, blender and independent bottler Hunter Laing & Co. introduces the brand-new bottling series Eidolon. This release is the first in a three-part series of Port Ellen limited-edition bottlings.

Distilled in 1983 shortly before the legendary Islay distillery was to close, only 638 bottles of the limited-edition Port Ellen Islay Single Malt Whisky will be available to purchase. As with all of Hunter Laing’s rarest independent bottlings, the Eidolon series is presented at natural cask strength and without artificial colouring or chill-filtration. The 53.5% ABV Eidolon first release can be found on the Ardnahoe Distillery online shop.

Hunter Laing & Co. is known for its cask stocks of rare aged whiskies, particularly from Islay. Founder Stewart Laing’s own father was particularly fond of Port Ellen Distillery whilst it was in operation and took care to lay down casks of its spirit for long-term maturation.

Stewart Laing said, “We are pleased to offer Islay enthusiasts this exceptional malt whisky in our new Eidolon presentation, which will only feature whiskies from Port Ellen Distillery. It is without doubt a whisky of contrast – both a testament to historic wisdom and a celebration of modern whisky expertise. The Eidolon casks were carefully set aside some years ago for additional aging and we now believe they have reached the peak of their complexity and character.”

Brothers Scott and Andrew agreed, “A new generation of whisky perfectionists have, in turn, been fortunate to taste this increasingly rare spirit over the years, continuing to protect and nurture the casks across seasons and time. We have spent a great deal of time in designing the presentation and we believe that it does justice to the quality and rarity of the whisky inside. We are now thrilled that this exceptional malt can be experienced as the first bottling under the Eidolon series.”

In ancient Greek literature an eidolon is a recollection of something memorable from history – Hunter Laing’s Eidolon is being launched in anticipation of the closed Port Ellen distillery being “brought back to life” as distillery owners Diageo plan to resume production in the near future.