Port Ellen revival is ‘deeply meaningful’

No one is more thrilled about the revival of Port Ellen distillery than Georgie Crawford, the Ileach tasked with bringing it back to life, although ever since last year’s unexpected news that the cult distillery is to be revived, the international Scotch whisky community has been abuzz with excitement.

For Crawford, who grew up in the village of Port Ellen and has spent the last seven years managing Lagavulin, the Victorian distillery’s reopening is ‘deeply meaningful’.

Here she explains what the return of Port Ellen means to the island, how the new distillery is set to look, and why owner Diageo is enlisting the help of the Islay community to shape its resurrection plans.