The Port Charlotte Case, Part 3


February 21, 2025

The Port Charlotte Case, Part 3

We carry on, and it's not over yet.

Port Charlotte 21 yo 2001/2022 (48.7%, Vintage Bottlers, rum barrel, cask #260, 259 bottles)

The 2001 rum barrel from Malt Grain & Cane was a real hit last time, so this should be similar. A reminder that 2001 was the very first vintage of Port Charlotte. Colour: light gold. Nose: oh yes, very lovely, round, on peaty bananas (really?) and natural vanilla. Brioche dough and Liverdun madeleines (with chocolate crusts). The peat is quite mellow here. Mouth: softer, even more honeyed than a typical PC, but with a wonderful array of peppers of all kinds, joining honeyed exotic fruits. Delightful little herbal touches, both minty and sweet. The peat and ashes simply underline the whole, but they do so marvellously. Finish: rather long, still quite soft and honeyed for a Port Charlotte, but the peat truly lets loose in the aftertaste. Comments: an absolute sin, as they say in Rome. I mean Vatican City.
SGP:655 - 88 points.

Port Charlotte 18 yo 2004/2022 (52.7%, Dramfool, first fill bourbon, 207 bottles)

Bourbon casks—what could possibly go wrong? Colour: light gold. Nose: let’s make this quick. Ripe apples, fairly soft peat, quince, Sauvignon Blanc, freshly cut grass, blackcurrants and blueberries, a tiny touch of garlic, and plenty of sourdough and yeast. Absolutely gorgeous, we love it completely. With water: same, no changes. Mouth (neat): perfect. The exact same aromas as on the nose, which is quite a rare occurrence. White currants as a bonus. With water: oh, this is good! Finish: a return of the fermentary notes, beer, hops, then ashes and grapefruit. Comments: a rather mysterious but stunning profile. Almost on par with the superb Acla from last time.
SGP:656 - 90 points.

We continue with another 2004...

Port Charlotte 15 yo 2004/2020 (51.9%, The Whisky Agency for KHK, Malt Cask & Dadi Liquor, sherry hogshead, cask #1217, 90 bottles)

Here we are in crazy Taiwan, the other Scotland of… well, Scotch whisky. Colour: amber. Nose: hints of rubber and spent matches, but everything quickly falls into place, with a bag of Twix, a box of Partagas, a spoonful of soy sauce, and three tonnes of prunes in Armagnac. Indeed, there’s plenty of action here. With water: mad stuff, the sherry overtakes the peat. Are we sure this wasn’t just a simple Bruichladdich? (Not that we’re saying Bruichladdich is simple, of course). Mouth (neat): imagine a piece of meat, cooked in honey and stuffed with dried raisins. With water: insane and excellent. A grand Catalonian rancio, with figs and a touch of mint and liquorice. Finish: same, and it lingers for ages. Comments: a real surprise, this bombastic little KHK from TWA for MC and DL (see, WE are saving energy on the data centre front).
SGP:656 - 90 points.

Port Charlotte 15 yo 2001/2017 (58.6%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, sherry, cask #888, 266 bottles)

The 2003 Blackadder was magnificent just two days ago, so this one should be rather decent as well. Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: a bit brutal, with metal polish, leather, menthol essence and bay leaf, which might suggest that water is almost mandatory here. With water: a little sulphur emerges (truffles and boiled cabbage) along with a hefty dose of tobacco. Mouth (neat): concentrated caramel, tobacco juice, green pepper sauce and glue. Pretty wild stuff—I imagine Rowan Atkinson would have some good jokes to crack here… With water: it calms down slightly but remains fairly brutal, still marked by glue and leather. Then, finally, it takes off towards dried raisins, Málaga, parsley juice, dark honeys, walnut wine and ashes diluted in PX. At last! Finish: very long, still somewhat challenging. The leather refuses to let go, as do the sulphurous touches in the aftertaste. Comments: I really don’t know, to be honest. One could down a magnum and still feel rather undecided. Best not to, wouldn’t you say?
SGP:576 - 85 points.

Port Charlotte 15 yo 2007/2023 (57.7%, Rest & Be Thankful, sherry butt, cask #1585, 864 bottles)

Eight hundred and sixty-four bottles of 70cl from a single sherry butt—that’s quite something, still over 600 litres after 15 years of maturation. But enough quasi-quantum mathematics… Colour: straw. Nose: the most discreet of sherries, and a superbly peated whisky of rare elegance. Almond milk, clams, bergamot, soft mint, a pack of Kool (menthol cigarettes) and a touch of iodine tincture. Also, some small green pears, just to balance it all. With water: wow, engine oil and metal polish. Mouth (neat): oh indeed! Almost an Islay mezcal, if you see what I mean. Olives, small lemons, clay and grapefruit. The sherry remains almost invisible. With water: okay, this was a joke from the bottlers—this is a blend of young Islay, mezcal, and very young Jamaican rum. Finish: long, perfect, very saline, fermentary, utterly unassailable. Little green pears. Comments: a blade, as we sometimes say. I do rest and I am thankful indeed.
SGP:567 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Port Charlotte we've tasted so far