Local Barley Port Charlotte and a regular 10 year old
Bruichladdich has been playing multiple chess boards at the same time over the last two decades, with the introduction of broad ranges for the Bruichladdich expression, but also quite some investment in heavily peated output, notably the Octomore releases. Not to be overlooked are the several peated releases under the Port Charlotte name. A familiar name for quite some time now, I have seen some excellent proprietary and independent bottlings over the years. Thanks to a whisky buddy, I got some expressions from a few years ago. Let’s dive in.
Port Charlotte 2011 – Islay Barley, bottled at 50 % abv
Makeup: An older bottle, distilled in 2011 and bottled at 6 years old. Matured in first fill bourbon casks and second fill wine casks. Made from Islay Barley. The label states “Heavily Peated”.
General impressions: The nose is modest and restrained. We can feel the heavy peat vibrating but somehow it does not burst loose. Some fishy notes emerge, lots of brine, and dark bread just out of the oven. Very balanced and pristine. But, just for the record: lots of peat. The taste is very dark, lots of smoke, but also the signature creamy character of Bruichladdich. The peat masks all youth in the distillate. The finish shows the full force of the peating level, it is really big and bold, like the classic peat monsters of yesteryear. It makes quite a dent in the tastebuds. We won’t taste much else after this! Just when I was thinking it lacks a bit of complexity, we added some water. Hints of lemons, cold green tea and farmland come out. Certainly more entertainment than undiluted. On the tongue, the influence of the wine casks is now revealed. A gentle sweetness adds to the briny notes. The finish is tamed a little.
Conclusion: A schizophrenic Islay single malt. It has multiple sides, depending on the water you add. Entertaining, decent stuff, but a bit incoherent. The local barley element is lost on me.
Score: 83 points
Port Charlotte 10 years old, bottled at 50 %b abv
Makeup: An early version of the Port Charlotte 10 years old. “Heavily Peated” whisky in that delightful bottle design.
General impressions: The ozone hits straight away, like a dust layer over the actual whisky. With a few sniffs its gone. Then a gentle and sweet peat smoke circles up from the glass. This comes off way more maritime compared to the Islay Barley. I enjoy it far better, because we can also detect the malted content of the distillate. I do not care for peat for peat’s sake. The taste reveals the strong ties with the regular Bruichladdich, with a sweet note and a creamy undercurrent. When I tasted this particular release when it first appeared, I was not the biggest fan. Now I can state quite the opposite; this is nice and balanced peated Islay malt. The finish (again) reveals the muscle of the peat that is the signature of this whisky, but it leaves a warm and lingering imprint.
Conclusion: Nothing stellar, but very straightforward good Islay single malt whisky. Balance is key in this Port Charlotte. Not an off-note to be found. Well done.
Score: 86 points
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