Port Charlotte is a distillery in the town with the same name. Built in 1829 and also known as Lochindaal, it was closed in 1929. It served as a youth hostel but the warehouses remained intact and were used by Bruichladdich.
Since May 2001, Bruichladdich distills new spirit under the name Port Charlotte while at the same time building a completely new distillery, 2 km. away from the Bruichladdich distillery.
In 2006, the first public release of Port Charlotte was named PC5 (five years old – bourbon / sherry finish). After that, we’ve had PC6 (madeira finish) and currently PC7 (American oak finish). PC8 is coming up in October this year.
Feel free to compare with the Bruichladdich 3D3 which contains some Port Charlotte together with regular Bruichladdich and heavily peated Octomore.
Port Charlotte 2001 ‘PC6’
(61,6%, OB 2007)
Port Charlotte 2001 ‘PC6’Nose: less fresh than the 3D3. More smoke, less lemon. The PC6 has a more buttery smell, with notes of mashed potato. Also slightly rubbery and fishy. A lot of peat of course. Charcoal. Wet wool. Some sweeter, fruity notes (apricot and pear), although hard to discover. Anise and burnt vanilla. When you go back to the 3D3, it’s clear that both are playing in the same league, but the 3D3 is a lot fresher, with more apple and lemon notes. The PC6 is a bit flatter, warmer and deeper.
Mouth: hot attack, on pepper and smoke. Very peaty. Again some rubber. Some pear and mint if you dig a little deeper. Less sweet than the 3D3, more intense and smokey (even when brought down to the same alcohol level).
Finish: rather creamy with light notes of fruit. A small pinch of salt.
A challenging spirit, like going “off-road” in a peatland. Still approachable despite the high alcohol volume, but again, only if you’re really into smokey, peaty flavours. Sold out, but the PC7 is still available.
Score: 87/100