”I Like Your Style”
Whisky Review # 976
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Islay
Brand: Port Charlotte
Distilled at: Bruichladdich
Distilled at: Bruichladdich
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Mostly Ex-Bourbon casks plus around 25% French Wine casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 50-65 (February 2023)
Maturation: Mostly Ex-Bourbon casks plus around 25% French Wine casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 50-65 (February 2023)
P/Q ratio: 👍 Good
Buying Advice: 👍 If you like peated young Whisky, it's a no-brainer!
Colour:
Light Gold (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young and Light. The Peat (40 ppm) is noticeable but softer than competitors like Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10. In a blind Tasting you might easily consider it to be a peated Highlander. It's Sweet but not overly so and you will also find some Bitter, Sour and Salty notes. There's quite a lot of Fruit around thanks to the Wine casks and there a slightly Dirty feel to this Nose as well. All in all not bad and certainly interesting. The Alcohol is noticeable but not overwhelming.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Earthy Peat, Farmyard, Straw, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Soot, (Shell) Fish and Ham on the BBQ and sprinkled with Lemon and Fresh Herbs, especially Coriander & Oregano, Cocktail of Fresh Fruit like Apples, Pears, Bananas, Strawberries & Orange Juice, Dusty Wood, Leather, Aniseed and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Tar, Iodine, Hospital, Raisins, Toasted Pineapple, Sugared Tea, Wet Rocks and Sand, Milk, Metal, Sulphur, Rubber, Olive Oil, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Curry and Licorice.
Quite Oily for a 10-Year old. The same savory mix of Sweet, Bitter, Salty and Sour notes. It's a bit Dirty and slightly off in places but that's part of the character of this Young Islay Malt. The Alcohol is not overwhelming despite the high ABV. Quite Dry.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Malt, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Earthy Peat, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Farm-Yard, Straw, (Shell) Fish and Bacon on the BBQ, sprinkled with Lemon and Fresh Herbs, Dusty Oak, Bitter Orange, Grapefruit, Dusty Oak, Leather, Pepper, Licorice, Mint and Ginger.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Bitter Almonds, Tar, Iodine, Hospital, Red Berries, Overripe Banana, Toasted Pineapple, Wet Stones and Sand, Metal, Rubber, Tobacco, Cloves, Curry & a mix of Milk and Baby Vomit.
Middle-Long with lingering Ashes and Metal. A mix of Sweet, Bitter, Salty and Sour notes. Very Dry towards the end. I find Toasted Barley, Burnt Caramel, Toffee and Vanilla, Earthy Peat, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Tar, (Shell) Fish and Bacon on the BBQ & sprinkled with Lemon and Herbs, Nuts, Grapefruit, Apple, Overripe Banana, Wet Stones, Dusty Oak, Dark Cocolate, Espresso, Leather, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint, Aniseed, Ginger, Menthol, Iron, Licorice and a light Off-note that reminds me of Milk and Baby Vomit. Not enough to scare me off though!
Drinking Advice:
I added a little Water & that makes the Palate quite Succulent and Tasty. The Nose becomes a little Malty but it's certainly okay to play with a little Water in this case.
Rating: 8 (********)
Nose: 8.3 - Taste: 7.8 - Finish: 7.6 - Overall: 8
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note did not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. As a result I have decided to use a new rating system as of today. I will still give a rating for Nose, Taste and Finish but now on the scale from 1-10 whereby 1 represents the worst and 10 the best. The sum of these numbers will be divided by 3 to get the final score. I hope this new scoring makes it easier for you to understand what I thought about the whisky I'm reviewing.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink. Please let me know what you think of the new rating system and leave your comments and/or suggestions.
Good
Conclusion:
Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by Barnett Harvey. During its long history it was mothballed various times, the last time in 1998. In 2012 the Islay distillery was bought by Remy Cointreau (France). Since, Bruichladdich is showing a healthy growth again. The distillery produces 3 types of Single Malt, i.e. the unpeated Bruichladdich & the heavily peated Port Charlotte & Octomore. The basic core range includes the Classic Laddie, Port Charlotte 10 Years and Octomore 10 Years. The annual production amounts to around 1.3 million litres of which 50% is currently peated.
A pleasant surprise with a good P/Q ratio. It has some flaws & off-notes but these are not off-putting and kind of contribute to the character of this Port Charlotte. If you like Young, Peated Islay Malt you can't go wrong with this 10 Year old.
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende February 2, 2023
