Port Ellen 31 yo 10th release vs Brora 30 yo 4th release!

As Chinese men say: there is no more suitable time than today. Thus I decided that was the right time and mood to open these 2  dusty samples and check which one is better.

Brora 30 yo 4-th release (bottled 2005) 56.3% - 3000 bottles released. 

Nose: very peaty from the beginning, cowshed, lots of farmyard flavours, hay, coal, hints of mint and eucalyptus, after some minutes cowshed develops into stable (don't ask about flavours' difference), whiffs of radish and liquorice. 

Taste: oily, liquorice again, peat, salted oranges, wax and stable. 

Finish: utterly long, peat, lemons and pepper with some sweetness at the very end. 

Overall: quite wild character, barbarian Brora :) My personal best from this distillery is still Brora 30 yo 2nd release worth 96/100 which I put down no detailed notes, but 4-th release is also striking. 

Score = 24 23.5 23.5 23.5, 94/100!

Port Ellen 31 yo 10-th release 54.6% - 3000 bottles released.

Nose: delicate tar, sea, salt, less intensive than Brora, but unexpectedly fresh and fruity, fresh apples and vanilla with time. 

Taste: mineral, lemons and kippers, olive oil, oranges, apples, pears, do we taste Islay?.. 

Finish: long, salty and ashy, fruity peat and spices kaleidoscope. 

Overall: quite delicate and subtle Port Ellen compared to preceding Brora. My personal best from this distillery remains Port Ellen 30 yo 9-th release which I scored 95/100. Hopefully some more Port Ellens to be tasted this year. 

Talking about today's rivals I'd conclude they are equally great. I really enjoyed Brora nose and Port Ellen taste. Hopefully year of 2020 will bring some more tastings of these 2 glorious distilleries. 

Score = 23 24 23.5 23.5, 94/100!

So what malt is better?