A direct comparison between similar casks is always fun. In this case, we have another Port Charlotte 2001 by Malts of Scotland, this time bottled from a sherry hogshead.
Port Charlotte 9 yo 2001 (61,6%, Malts of Scotland 2010, sherry cask #833)
Nose: after the bourbon version, this seems less peaty but more smokey, with soot and ashes . Quite winey at first. It takes some time and especially some hand warmth to balance it. It has meaty elements, rubbery elements, dried fruits and marmalade… Balsamic vinegar as well. This one seems more mature than its bourbon sibling, and the complexity is excellent. It’s certainly less clean (even faint hints of cow stable).
Mouth: now the peat kicks in and counters the sherry. Big notes of chocolate and pepper. Plums. Liquorice. Water adds a bittersweet note, like black tea with a bit of sugar.
Finish: sweet with tobacco and nutmeg.
I really enjoyed comparing them, it’s quite spectacular how both profiles seem to deconstruct each other completely. Once you’re used to one version and compare it to the other, you notice new things and vice versa. This sherried Port Charlotte is quite explosive, rougher and more complex than the bourbon cask. Around € 65 (nice!).
Score: 88/100