Aultmore 1997 15 Years (Master of Malt Cask 3560) Review - Aultmore 1991 20 Years (Wilson & Morgan Cask 2683) Review

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the next months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific distillery like today or with specific bottlers, countries or regions. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't go into too much details of distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In today's special I will review two Indie expressions distilled at Aultmore - Speyside. Enjoy!

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Whisky Review # 759

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand:  Aultmore 1997 - Distilled: May 15
Bottled By: Master of Malt - Single Cask Series - Bottled: April 1, 2013

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky - Cask # 3560 - 261 Bottles
Age: 15 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 55.8% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Refill Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: Information Not Available Anymore -  Discontinued
Buying Advice: 😋 Very tasty Speyside Malt. I wouldn't mind own a full bottle!

Colour:

Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Sweet, Waxy, Fruity and Floral. Pleasant although the Alcohol is noticeable. Not really complex. Lots of Fresh Fruit and Puff-Pastry.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Vanilla, Orange, Grass, Straw, Lemon, Wax, Caffe Latte, Warm Apple/Peach filled Puff Pastry, Banana and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Floral Perfume, Toffee, Herbs, Charred Oak, Toasted Almonds, Butterscotch, Milk Chocolate, Pear and Mineral notes.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Fruity and Buttery. The Cask Strength is noticeable and Herbs and Spices come to play.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Butter Biscuits, Apple and Melon filled Puff-Pastry, Banana, Hay, Grass, Orange and Lemon Peel, Vanilla, Pepper and Menthol/Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather Honey, Toasted Almonds, Pear, Cinnamon, Dried Herbs, Ginger, Licorice, Cloves and Charred Oak.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Hot. Lots of Fruit again accompanied by Herbs and Spices. I find Toasted Barley, Butter Biscuits, Salted Butter, Apple-filled Puff-Pastry, Banana, Vanilla, Grass/Hay, Lemon and Orange Peel, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper, Cloves, Licorice, Menthol, White Chocolate and Caffe Latte. A slight Metallic note pops up every once in a while.

Drinking Advice:

I added a few drops of Water and the Alcohol basically disappears on the Nose. Palate and Finish benefit as well. The overall Aroma/Flavour profile does not change a lot but this Aultmore certainly benefits from a little added water!

Rating: 87

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Very nice!

Conclusion:

The Aultmore distillery is located in Keith (Banffshire) and was founded in 1896 by Alexander Edward. It is owned by John Dewar & Sons since 1923. Dewar used to belong to the Diageo Group but was sold to Bacardi in 1998. The core range was extended in 2014 and now includes the 12, 18, 21 and 25 Years. All these are Non Chill-Filtered, Uncoloured and bottled at 46%.

This is only my second Aultmore and once again I'm pleasantly surprised. Very nice Fruity and Buttery Malt. Cask Strength is perhaps a tad too much Alcohol so I advise you to add a few drops of Water. Unfortunately, this Single Malt has been discontinued and it will be hard to find a bottle. I have no idea about the price but I would certainly love to have a bottle of this Aultmore in my cabinet. It's not really a complex Single Malt but it's damned tasty. Good stuff!

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Whisky Review # 760

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Aultmore 1991
Bottled By: Wilson & Morgan - Barrel Selection - Bottled: September 29, 2011

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky - Cask 2683 - 744 Bottles
Age: 20 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 100-150 (August 2018)
Buying Advice: 😀 Good Sherried Speyside Malt. A bit too much Sulphur.

Colour:

Tawny/Auburn (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Sherry cask without any shadow of a doubt. Sweet with lots of Dark Fruit, Nuts and Christmas Cake. Quite some Sulphur as well although it barely stays within my personal limits. The Alcohol is nicely integrated.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums and Apricots, Mixed Nuts, Dried Herbs, Straw, Dark Chocolate, Mandarin Juice, Hot Rum Coffee and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Floral Perfume, Caramel, Vanilla Biscuits, Nutmeg, Cloves, Nutella, Orange Peel, slightly Sour Berries, Apple, Leather and Maggi Seasoning Sauce.

Palate:

Sweet and Medium-Dry. Lots of Tannins. The Oak is quite noticeable and so is the Sulphur I'm afraid.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Apricots and Plums, Nuts, Sour Berries, Dark Chocolate, Oak, Orange Peel, Cloves, Nutmeg and Roasted Coffee.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Blackberry Muffins, Treacle, Rum, Overripe Banana, Buttered Toast and Honey, Pepper, Licorice, Tobacco, Menthol and Leather.

Finish:

Long, Woody and Tannic. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. The Sulphur remains quite present. I find Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Dried Fruit (Plums and Apricots), Blackberry Jam, Oak, Seville Orange, Straw, Hazelnuts, Salted Butter, Brandy/Rum, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Black Espresso, Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Menthol and Leather.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Aultmore despite the high ABV. It doesn't get bad mind you but it looses intensity.

Rating: 86

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Good Sherried Speysider. Quite a bit of Sulphur on the Palate and in the Finish. 

Conclusion:

A Completely different Aultmore but again it does not disappoint. The 1997 is a well-made Speyside Whisky and if you like GlenDronach, Glenfarclas or Aberlour you should give this sherried Aultmore a chance if you can find it. It's got quite a bit of Sulphur but I still fully enjoyed the sample. If I were to choose between the two Aultmore Malts I've tasted today I will go for the 1995 15 Years (Master of Malt). It's really good that Aultmore has extended its core range. I certainly hope to find one or more expressions during my upcoming trip to Europe and the Travel Retail shops! This new core range will certainly bring this distillery on the Single Malt map. And deservedly so!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   August 6, 2018

Canadian Club 6 Years Whisky Review - Sullivans Cove American Oak Cask Review - Wasmund's Single Malt Review - Old Red Review

“All Around the World”

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the coming months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with specific countries like today or bottlers, regions or distilleries. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't touch too much details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In this special I will review four random Whiskies from Canada, Australia, the USA and Brazil. Enjoy!

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Whisky Review # 755

Country: Canada
Distillery: Hiram Walker & Sons

Brand: Canadian Club

Type: Barrel Blended Canadian Whisky
Age: 6 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: New White Oak Barrels
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 15-25 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😏 Not good enough as a Sipping Blend. For Mixing only! 

Colour:

Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Quite Thin and Weak. The Alcohol is very prominent. It's more like a Flavoured Vodka or White Rum actually. A light mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes. I do not detect any serious off-notes.

Main Aromas:

Cereals, Slightly Burnt Toast with Margarine spread, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Hay,  Vanilla, Almond, Apple, Mint and Citrus Peel.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Burnt Grass and Heather, Acetone, Gooseberries, Oak Char, Banana, Pineapple, Green Tobacco, Cabbage and Aniseed.

Palate:

Thin, Watery and slightly Harsh. The Alcohol is quite noticeable. A mix of Sugary Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes.

Main Flavours:

Cereals, Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla, Apple, Gooseberries, Oak Char, Vodka, Pepper and Green Tobacco.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Burnt Grass, Rye, Cherry Flavoured Cough Syrup, Nuts, Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Mint, Nutmeg, Ginger and Licorice/Aniseed.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Thin and Harsh. A combination of Sugary Sweet, Sour and Bitter notes. I find Cereals, Corn Syrup, Rye Spice, Caramel, Vanilla, Acetone, Pepper, Vodka, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Lemon-Peel, Apple and Oak Char.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and the Canadian Club becomes less harsh. It also gets dangerously Thin though. Just add a few drops to find your preferred balance. It really doesn't matter a whole lot as this Blend is basically suited for cocktails.

Rating: 72

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18

Drinking Experience:

Below Average. Not interesting enough as a sipping Whisky.

Conclusion:

Canadian Club Whisky was created by Hiram Walker in the year 1858 and has been produced ever since then in the Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery located in Windsor (Ontario). Nowadays, the distillery is owned by Pernod Ricard from France. The Canadian Club Brand however is owned by Beam Suntory. Corn,  Malted Rye, Rye and Barley are part of the mash bill for Canadian Club. It ages for 6 Years in a mix of New - and Refill White Oak casks. In recent years the 6 years has been reformulated to a NAS Whisky called "1858" Extra Aged. This goes to say it aged longer than the Canadian legal requirement of 3 years. Most likely it aged for around 5 Years. Please find my Review of the NAS version here.

The 6 Years I am tasting today comes from a miniature plastic bottle of 50 ml. that I bought a few years ago. Around 15% of the contents has evaporated in the meantime. The miniature was destined for the US market as it was imported and bottled by Canadian Club Import Company, Deerfield Illinois.

The six years is slightly better than the more recent NAS expression I reviewed earlier. It's a little less Harsh and a bit more flavourful. Nevertheless, the Canadian Club 6 Years is not interesting and mature enough to seriously consider it as a sipping Whisky. It actually reminds me more of a Flavoured Vodka. It's quite cheap of course which probably makes it a fine base for cocktails. But those are not my speciality I'm afraid. Let's leave Canada now and go Down Under.

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Whisky Review # 756

Country: Australia

Region: Tasmania

Brand: Sullivans Cove American Oak Cask

Type: Single Malt Whisky (Small Batch - Single Cask)
Age: NAS (Said to be 10-11 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 47.5%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon American Oak Cask
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 150-350 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😀 Well-Made Whisky - 😡 Ridiculous Price!

Colour:

Light Golden (Natural Colour).

Nose:

An overwhelming Aroma of Cereals, Fruit, Fresh Wood and Vanilla. Quite Rich. Mainly Sweet and Buttery but with a few slightly Sour notes as well. It's not very complex but quite pleasant nonetheless.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Salted Butter, Grass/Hay, Marzipan, Milk Chocolate, Bounty Candy Bar, Banana Ice Cream, Mango, Red Apples, Hazelnut, Cinnamon & Fresh Wood.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Brown Sugar, Dusty Track, Floral Soap, Grapefruit Juice, Orange- and Lemon Peel, White Grapes, Ginger and Pepper.

Palate:

Relatively Young, Creamy, Buttery and Sweet. Again, not very complex but well-made.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Salted Butter, Whipped Cream, Apricot Jam, Apple, Mandarin, Milk Chocolate, Orange, Hay, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Dusty Track, Hazelnuts, Lemon, Cherry-Flavoured Candies, Tinned Pineapple and Pepper.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Creamy and Sweet at First. An increasing Bitterness towards the Dry end. I find Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Hazelnuts, Milk Chocolate, Honey, Orange-Peel, Tinned Pineapple, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Apricot Jam, Fresh Oak, Apple, Straw, Cinnamon, Pepper, Aniseed and Tobacco.

Drinking Advice:

Due to the small size of the sample, I only enjoyed this Sullivans Cove neat.

Rating: 85

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience:

Good.

Conclusion:

Sullivan's Cove Distillery is located in Cambridge, Tasmania and was founded in 1994. It really started to shine in 1999 when Patrick Maguire took over. Sullivan buys their Wash from the Cascade Brewery in Hobart. In 2016 Sullivan was bought by Adam Sable (Ex-Bladnoch). The distillery uses Water from the rain forest that surrounds the distillery.

I Bought my small sample at Master of Malt (Drinks by the Dram) a couple of years ago. Unfortunately there's little or no information on the label as to when this particular batch was produced and bottled. I'm also not sure whether it was a Limited Single Cask Edition or not. I don't think so but...

I'm pleasantly surprised with the quality of this Aussie. It reminds me of a West European mainland Whisky. Millstone from Holland came to my mind. Sullivans Cove has won quite a few awards during the last years. I normally do not pay much attention to these awards as they are Industry-driven but in this case the awards lead to an absurd price increase of the Sullivans Cove Whisky. And that's a pity because only very few people will be ready to pay 200 or 300 US Dollars for a Young Whisky like this. And while it's well-made it's not at all complex. A mix of Cereals, Butter, Vanilla and Fruit. A good Breakfast Whisky! I wish this Distillery all the best because the quality deserves it. I would urge them to revise their price policy though. This is way out of line!

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Whisky Review # 757

Country: USA

Distillery: Copper Fox, Sperryville, Virginia

Brand: Wasmund's

Type: Single Malt Whisky (Small Batch)
Age: NAS (Said to be 12-42 Months depending on the batch)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 48%
Maturation: Fresh American Oak (With Added Wood Chips)
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 35-45 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😔 Interesting Experiment. Expensive Bark-Juice!

Colour:

Dark Copper (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Very Sweet and Buttery. The Alcohol is quite present. A light Vomit-like off note. It's been a while since I noticed that in a Single malt.

Main Aromas:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Cereals, Grass/Straw, Farm Yard, Herbal Tea, Sour Cherries, Wet Earth, Dusty Track and Tree Bark.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Caramel, Yeast, Apple, Acetone, Sawdust, Pepper, Gasoline, Imitation Leather, Bonfire Smoke, Sweaty Feet and Milk Chocolate.

Palate:

Very Sweet and slightly Hot and Musty. The Wood influence is overwhelming. It's almost like Liquid Oak.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Herbal Tea, Ashes, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Sour Apple, Oak Char, Pepper, Menthol and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Bonfire Smoke, Caramel, Treacle, Wet Earth, Dusty Track, Gasoline, Sawdust, Paint Thinner, Nut Shells, Cinnamon, Pipe Tobacco and Aniseed.

Finish:

Long, Edgy and quite Hot. Sweet at First but Bitter towards the end. Lots of Oak Char and Ash. I also find Barley Sugar, Vanilla, Caramel, Pepper, Cherry Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Sour Apples, Treacle, Licorice, Herbal Tea, Mint, Paint Thinner and Nut Shells.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Wasmund's.

Rating: 73

Nose: 19 - Taste: 18- Finish: 18 - Overall: 18

Drinking Experience:

Below average! There are some interesting ideas here but the execution could be more refined.

Conclusion:

Copper Fox was founded in 2000 by Rick Wasmund. In 2005 a new distillery was built on a different location and production started in 2006. Copper Fox does its own floor Malting and the Barley is dried with selected Fruit-wood. After distillation the Spirit is filled in American Oak barrels together with toasted chips of Apple - and Cherry wood as well as some Oak chips. All this of course to speed up the maturation process. A second distillery was opened recently in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Unfortunately my sample does not state when the specific batch was distilled, nor how long (short) it matured. In any case we are talking about a very young Whisky that was forced to mature rapidly in a Sea of Wood. Now please don't get me wrong! I am totally open to new ideas in the production of Whisky and I fully applaud what the people at Copper Fox are trying out. I also think though that there is a huge difference between a careful mix of traditional maturation and Wood Chips and drowning the Spirit in tons of Wood Chips, Apple - Cherry or otherwise. Because I don't think the Whisky world is really ready for Bark Juice. I know I ain't! So my advise to Copper Fox would be to further exploit the use of Wood Chips bearing in mind that Wood should serve the Spirit, not the other way around. Good Luck Rick!

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Whisky Review # 758

Country: Brazil

Brand: Old Red

Type: Malt Whisky Drink
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 38%
Maturation: What?
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 6-8 (July 2018
Buying Advice: 😥 Borderline Drinkable. Very cheap Basis for Mixed drinks.

Colour:

Copper (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Sharp, very Thin and Watery. It's basically Coloured Alcohol. No real off-notes.

Main Aromas:

Alcohol (Vodka), Sugar, Nut Shells, Wood Pellets and Pepper.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Burnt Toast, Toasted Cereals, Treacle and Cooked Apples.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Sharp, Thin and Watery. No offending Off-Notes.

Main Flavours:

Alcohol (Vodka or cheap White Rum), Sugar, Nut Shells, Wood Chips, Licorice and Pepper.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Vanilla, Toffee, Burnt Toast and Green Apple.

Finish:

Short en Sharp. Sugary Sweet with a few Bitter notes towards the Dry end. I find Alcohol (Vodka or cheap White Rum), Burnt Toast, Nut Shells, Wood Chips, Toffee, light Vanilla, Green Apple, Pepper and Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

You can actually add a few drops of Water to get rid of most of the sharpness. It becomes really Thin though. This is not a sipping drink. For mixing only.

Rating: 64

Nose: 16 - Taste: 16 - Finish: 16 - Overall: 16

Drinking Experience:

Way Below Average.

Conclusion:

The Old Red is produced by Casa di Conti, a beverage company founded in 1947 by the Conti family in the city of Candido Mota in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo (Brazil). They produce Vermouth, Beer, Soft Drinks, Energy Drinks & Liqueurs.

Old Red is a Malt Whisky drink made of Sugar Cane Alcohol, Sugar, 3 Year Old Malt Whisky, Oak Extract and Water.

Most of you know by now that I mainly use samples and miniatures for my Tasting sessions. I collect the miniature bottles and guard them in a nice cabinet. To give them a little more "life", I refill them with cheap local Whisky. So that's why I bought a bottle of the Old Red as I have bought bottles of quite similar stuff in the past. These locally blended Whiskies or Whisky drinks are indeed very cheap and in today's Whisky world you can't expect miracles at this price level.

Old Red is basically a coloured and sugared Alcohol. It's hard to detect the Malt Whisky that should be in there somewhere. It's not good enough as a sipping drink but its low price should make it attractive for mixing purposes, But only is quantity is more important than quality. The good thing is that I'm still alive and that Old Red is not the worst stuff I've tasted so far! Cheers! Until next week!

Jan van den Ende                                                                     July 30, 2018

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Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 Review - Port Charlotte PC 12 Oileanach Furachail Review

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the next months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific distillery like today or with specific bottlers, countries or regions. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't go into details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In today's special I will review two peated Port Charlotte expressions of the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay. Enjoy!

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Whisky Review # 753

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Distilled at: Bruichladdich

Brand: Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 (40PPM)

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Most likely a mix of Ex-Bourbon Casks and European Oak.
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 60-70 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😔 Interesting Malt. Lots of Ashes. Expensive given its age!

Colour:

Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young and a little Dirty but not unpleasant. Initially, the Smoke covers much of the other Aromas so be sure to give this Port Charlotte enough time in the glass. The Nose presents a combination of Floral, Fruity, Herbal and Farmyard notes.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Cereals, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Wet Clay, Dirty Smoke, Diesel, a mix of Cow Manure and Straw, Ashes, Burnt Tyres, Smoked Fish and Meat, Lemon, Green Apple and Pipe Tobacco.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Iodine, Soot, Oak Char, Dried Herbs, Cured Ham, Wax, Pine Needles, Pear, Leather, Mint and Papaya Cream.

Palate:

Young, a bit Rough and basically Bitter-Sweet. Quite Dry. Light Metallic Off-Note.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals, Burnt Toast, Peated Biscuits, Salted Caramel, Dirty Smoke,  Wet Earth, Ashes, Soot, Straw, Green Apple, Lemon, Leather, Pepper and White Chocolate.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Charred Oak, Herbal Tea, Smoked Fish & Ham, Pear, Banana, Nuts, Coconut, Sultanas, Cloves and Licorice.

Finish:

Very Long, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Hot and Dirty. Dry towards the end. Lots of Ash! Too much in fact. You're left with the impression of having cleaned a full ashtray with your tongue. I also find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Dirty Smoke, Sweet Peat, Smoked Fish and Ham, Banana, Green Apple, Herbal Tea, Heather-Honey, Nuts, Pepper, Charred Oak, Leather and Roasted Coffee.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Port Charlotte despite the high ABV.

Rating: 85 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience: 

Good and sufficiently interesting. Lots of Ash though!

Conclusion:

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by Barnett Harvey. During its history it was mothballed various times, the last time in 1998. In 2012 the distillery was bought by Remy Cointreau. Since, Bruichladdich is showing a healthy growth again. The distillery produces three types of Single Malt, i.e. the unpeated Bruichladdich, the heavily peated Port Charlotte and the very heavily peated Octomore.

The Port Charlotte Islay Barley is one of the peated expressions of Bruichladdich and is made with Barley produced on 6 different farms on the isle of Islay. It's certainly an interesting Single Malt and there are more than enough interesting Aromas and Flavours to be discovered. It does contain an overdose of Ashes in my opinion and that's the reason I won't drink this Malt on a regular basis. But I enjoyed the Tasting session. It's a very Young Malt despite the Spicy price. It would be very interesting to see how this peated Bruichladdich would develop with more cask time. Would love to have a go at a 15 Year old Islay Barley!

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Whisky Review # 754

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Distilled at: Bruichladdich

Brand: Port Charlotte PC 12 Oileanach Furachail (40 PPM)

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (Distilled in December 2008 - Released in 2014)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 58.7% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Most likely a mix of Ex-Bourbon casks and Sherry Wood. A few Wine casks perhaps?
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 140-200 (July 2018)
Buying Advice:😏 Not bad but too expensive for what it offers!

Colour:

Tawny/Auburn (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The Sherry Wood is quite noticeable and covers the Peat and Smoke with a Sweet layer. I find quite a bit of Sulphur and some Metallic notes as well. It's not as Dirty as Ledaig or even Springbank but there are a few similarities. The Port Charlotte is much Sweeter though. I expected a Peat/Smoke Beast but on the Nose that's not the case. At 40 PPM this comes as a slight surprise.

Main Aromas:

Smoky Grist, Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Farmyard, Straw, Dried Fruit like Plums, Apricots and Sultanas, Dirty Earth, Charred Oak, Polished Leather, Wet Stones, Iodine, Lemon & Grapefruit Juice, Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate and Bacon/Fish on the BBQ.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Cooked Vegetables, Vanilla, Apple, Brown Sugar, Varnish, Tar, Soot, Ashes, Bitter Orange, Pineapple, Blueberry Pie, Heather-Honey, Mint and Cinnamon.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, a bit Hot and slightly Soapy and Dirty. More Peat and Smoke than on the Nose. The Sherry, Sulphur - and Metallic notes remain noticeable. Quite Oily as well.

Main Flavours:

Toasted and Malted Cereals, Salted Caramel, Sweet Dirty Peat, Factory Smoke, Wet Stones, Tar, Soot, Ashes, Dried Fruit like Plums and Apricots, Grapefruit and Lemon Juice, Bitter Orange, Licorice, Pepper, Ginger and Banana Ice Cream.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Rubber, Gasoline, Vanilla, Burnt Heather, Smoked Ham, Bacon, Polished Leather, Salted Peanuts, Roasted Coffee, Port/Bordeaux Wine, Cloves and Mint.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, a little Rubbery and Medium-Dry towards the end. The Alcohol, Smoke and Soot are much more present than on the Nose. I find Toasted and Malted Cereals, Factory Smoke, Dirty Earth, Tar, Soot, Ashes, light Sulphur, Wet Rocks/Sand, Charred Oak, Salted Peanuts, Vanilla, Orange, Banana Ice Cream, Dried Fruit like Figs and Plums, Dark Chocolate, Port Wine, Polished Leather, Nuts, Espresso, Bacon/Pork on the BBQ, Licorice, Menthol and Pepper.

Drinking Advice:

Despite the high ABV I advise against adding Water. I got images of Menthol flavoured joint gel or something similar. Quite Weird. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 85.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Good/Interesting. A bit too much Dirty notes like Sulphur, Rubber, Plastic and Varnish. This is not mainstream stuff. Springbank and Ledaig fans might give this one a go!

Conclusion:

Oileanach Furachail means "Islander that Pays Attention" and refers to Master Distiller Adam Hannett's apprenticeship with Jim McEwan from 2006-2015.

It's not easy to judge these Port Charlotte Malts. The Oileanach Furachail is certainly an interesting Single Malt. You won't get bored with this one. It's not mainstream stuff that makes you yawn. But it does carry a lot of Dirty half Off-notes. At this Price-Level I would like to see a stricter Cask Management. Like the Islay Barley above, the PC 12 is not a whisky for daily consumption. But it's certainly interesting to enjoy a dram once in a while, especially for those who enjoy Springbank and Ledaig. A last suggestion: I have a feeling it would pair very well with Charcoal grilled Sardines.

Jan van den Ende                                                                       July 23, 2018

The Pictures were taken during our visit to Bruichladdich in May 2014.