I found it quite strange to see a 9 year-old whisky being labeled Perfect Dram but then we shouldn’t judge a dram by its age, right? It was distilled at Bruichladdich in 2002 and it’s heavily peated so we’d better call it Port Charlotte.
Bruichladdich 9 yo 2002 (57,7%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2011, ex-bourbon cask, heavily peated, 179 btl.)
Bruichladdich 9 yo 2002 (57,7%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2011, ex-bourbon cask, heavily peated, 179 btl.)Nose: quite aromatic for such a high alcohol content. Sweet peat and plenty of minerals (wet sand, graphite, wet wool). Very focused on peat but luckily we also find some hay and leather. Even tiny farmy notes.
Mouth: a sweet blast of peat and soot. Then the sweetness fades and the whole gets earthy, rooty and more herbal, with a soft zesty bitterness in the background. Only for peatheads.
Finish: long, ashy and lemony with some liquorice root.
Port Charlotte with a straightforward, deep peat blast. Maybe not the best value for money compared to other independent Port Charlotte or the official releases, but certainly good quality. Around € 100.
Score: 87/100