A trio of Port Charlotte bottlings, two from the very early years of production and another one that was produced much later. Two of them are from red wine casks.
Port Charlotte 16 yo 2001 (59,7%, Archives 2017, bourbon barrel #278, 218 btl.)
Nose: beautiful nose. There are some farmy notes (wet sheep) and wet ashes, but also lots of fruits. Mango, melons, bananas. Fatty, greasy peat. Tarry ropes. Hints of pipe tobacco, including a hint of vanilla and white chocolate. The fruitiness and richness are great.
Mouth: sweet onset but less fruity than expected from the nose. Dry smoky notes and then a big mineral side with some herbal, faintly bitter edges. Mexican peppers.
Finish: long, on smoke, minerals and a cautious return of sweetness.
The bright fruitiness and the typical Port Charlotte smokiness combine wonderfully here. Although the palate is less surprising, this is my favourite bottling of this series. Available for € 170 from Whiskybase.
Score: 90/100
We move onto an independent bottling of Port Charlotte, from a cask owned by Kjell Öberg in Sweden. Distilled 25th April 2002 and matured in a refill bourbon hogshead until 1st October 2007 when it was re-casked into a fresh Haut-Brion hogshead until bottled on 8th June 2017. I’ve heard it is the only Port Charlotte so far that has been re-casked.
Port Charlotte 15 yo 2002 ‘Double Wood’ (59,4%, OB Private Cask 2017, refill bourbon + Haut-Brion hogshead #0002, 267 btl.)
Port Charlotte 15 yo 2002 ‘Double Wood’ (59,4%, OB Private Cask 2017, refill bourbon + Haut-Brion hogshead #0002, 267 btl.)Nose: rather different, much drier and much smokier. More medicinal as well. It starts on clean matchstick heads and soot, whiffs of maritime smoke, hints of figs and just traces of chocolate. Peppery notes. Hints of red grapes, but the winey side is well integrated. Same farmy hints but much more hidden.
Mouth: drier and more peppery than the Archives bottling. More of the expected peat smoke and ashes. Plenty of leathery notes, herbs and certainly more medicinal notes, rounded of by some blackberry sweetness. A bit more angular than the Archives version.
Finish: long, smoky, with some chilli pepper and red berries.
This is a complex version with lots of nuances. You wouldn’t immediately identify as a wine cask, that’s a good thing. Well done. Not sure if this is for sale.
Score: 87/100
Port Charlotte 8 yo 2008 (57,6%, Maltbarn 2017, Château Margaux cask, 169 btl.)
Port Charlotte 8 yo 2008 (57,6%, Maltbarn 2017, Château Margaux cask, 169 btl.)Nose: much more winey now. Juicy plums, blackberries and grapes. The smokiness is subdued, more refined here, it’s reminding me of an oak-aged mezcal note. Mezcal indeed. Faint citrusy notes.
Mouth: same feeling of wine mixed with mezcal, funny but it kinda works. The most drying mouthfeel of the trio though and complexity is low compared to the other. Smoky, dark sooty notes. Hints of red berries in the background. Spices as well.
Finish: rather short, on chilli, peat and wine.
Funny how this one reminded me of mezcal after the other two. Of course it’s half the age, so complexity is a bit lower. That said, the wine influence is well balanced. Available for € 130, sold out from Maltbarn direct but maybe you can still find it in other countries.
Score: 85/100