Review #: 266
Description: Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010
Spirit: Scotch
Background: Part of Port Charlotte’s experimental cask range, this peated whisky was distilled in 2010 from barley grown in the Invernesshire Region of Scotland. 50% was aged in first fill American Whiskey casks and the other 50% in second fill French wine casks. The whisky was then all finished for a year in wine casks from the Bordeaux Left Bank. A decent amount going on so let’s see if the taste can match it.
Distillery – Bruichladdich
Bottler – Bruichladdich
Brand – Port Charlotte
Selection – N/A
ABV – 59.1%
Age – 7 Years
Nose – Rich and dense: plums, dates, smoked cherries, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, toasted sourdough bread, toasted walnuts
Taste – Rich cola, raisins, dark caramel, gingersnap cookie, licorice
Finish – Cola, licorice, spicy ginger, tobacco leaf, more roasted nuts, molasses, little bit of sourdough. The ginger and licorice linger for quite some time.
Score: 8
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: Quite a bit different from the previous review of the Islay Barley, this was a real hard hitter. Rich and dense at each layer, the cola/ginger/licorice but then also sourdough sounds weird but it really worked for me. The licorice is strong and I know that can be something that not everyone likes, so if it’s not in your wheelhouse you probably won’t like it as much as I did, if at all. But to me, this was rich and herbal and spicy and gave an interesting aspect to peated whisky beyond just campfire or bbq smoke.