First of all, a small tip when tasting peated whiskies over 60%abv. Always start with a drop of blended whisky or a lighter malt whisky to warm up the palate, if not one may have a hard time detecting more than alcohol or peat. In this case I'm having a wee drop of Caperdonich. Port Charlotte is the new peated whisky from Bruichladdich at 40ppm, Some have been good, some don't. One of the factors that make this spirit varying more than that of Kilchoman, which is also a very young Islay whisky, is that Port Charlotte uses a much wider range of casks. But the content standard bottlings of PC 8, 9 and such are thankfully matured in similar fashions.
Port Charlotte 8yo 2001-2010 60.2% Malts of Scotland cask#967
From a bourbon barrel. Golden color. These youngsters are now making the foundation for Port Charlottes future reputation, and there has been quite a lot of them released the past 2-3 years. It smells austere, raw, peaty, smoky, ashes, glue, vanilla, banana, coco, grape fruit, tannic, oaky. Settles down perfectly after some breathing, dry, wheat, hay, sawdust, salty, sea-breeze, briny, tarry. The taste is full on thick vanilla, honey, peaty, smoky, ashes, cough-drops, medicinal, rubber, heavy oak-influence, already?. The nose creates the magic in this one, but the palate fills in like the perfect sawn woman. The finish is tongue-numbing, oaky, spirity, drying, quite long, herbal. Let's just call it the applause.
This isn't far from some good youngster from laphroaig actually: 8
Port Charlotte 8yo 2001-2010 60.6% Malts of Scotland cask#969
Many similarities in the first two in this session, almost same strength, same vintage, same bottler, close cask#, same age, but they might show to be the most dissimilar in this session as this one was fully matured in a Zinfandel cask. Zinfandel is a grape of which a, often, light red wine is produced. The Robert Mondavi Zinfandel wines being one of the more popular everyday wines in Denmark. Let's see how it makes for preparing casks for whisky. The color is amber. It smells of butter, peat, oak, smoke, liver, rubber, latex, leather, oily, tannic, pretty smooth, but not as raw and peaty as the #967. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, vinegar, fino sherry, lemon jello, peaty, limoncello, I'm not sure MoM found the taste they were looking for with this one. But it still is a fine malt, it's just a bit castrated, so to speak. The finish is tannic, bitter, roquefort cheese and leather.
You can apparently find non-coastal malts on Islay, in character: 7
Port Charlotte 8yo 2002-2010 61.1% Malts of Scotland cask#77
Only 96 bottles came from this barrel, well, I expected it to be a hogshead, but from a barrel? Maybe they've drawn just parts of the cask. Golden color. It smells of peat, medicinal, another very Laphroaig-ish one? Its definitively a peat-bomb, smoke, ashy, peaty, more peat than I can remember even finding in the Octomores. It's a bit sulphury, cinnamon, tannic, red wine, is this the right cask? The taste is sweet, vanilla, licorice, honey, cuban cigars, snow peas, glue, onions, peppery, leather, guava, sour grapes. This is more interesting than the prior two, just because the spirit isn't overpowered by an active cask. More harmonious than the prior two perhaps. The finish is phenolic, rubbery, machine oil, turmeric.
Just because I'm in love with Laphroaig: 7.5
Port Charlotte 8yo 2001-2010 61.6% Malts of Scotland cask#833
This one comes from a sherry hogshead. They do like their hogsheads at Malts of Scotland, quick money? Usually good quality nevertheless, and thats what matters. The color is brown/orange. It smells of peat, sweet sherry, honey, cinnamon, nutty, creamy, sweet, rich, heather, nicely sherried. I think that the rumor that sherried peaty whiskies are inferior to the bourboned peaty ones are a little unrefined. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, sulphury, honey, a bit too tannic and drying. I believe this could be helped with some water. Now it turns richer, creamier, ammonium, rubbery, bitter and salty, a weird taste. I think I enjoyed it more without water added. If you're desperately looking for a complex whisky, and dislikes and clean flavors, then this one's for you.
A nice one, but do not add water: 6
Port Charlotte 7yo 2002-2010 64.2% Malts of Scotland cask#1172
The youngest one, and with the highest %abv in this session. From a bourbon Hogshead. The color is amber honey. It smells very peppery, licorice, peaty, oaky, smoky, burnt, honey, menthol, flinty, concentrated on bitter herbs and licorice. The taste is sweet, bitter, vinegar, grapefruit juice, honey, vanilla, lemon, Not nearly as refined and mellow as the ones from bourbon barrels. This is spirity and raw, young-ish, unfinished spirit. I could probably give this time, water and whatever else, but it just lacks any sort of complexity which can evolve. I'll give it half an hour of breathing. Now it turns more peppery. bitter, a bit too raw and spirity, lets add water. With water it becomes sweeter, more bitter, drying, licorice and gin.
I could've done without this one, too young and spirity: 3
Next tasting: Last peaty session, Laphroaig Distillery
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