The Port Charlotte Case, Part 8


March 3, 2025

The Port Charlotte Case, Part 8
(and last, hurray!)

This little website is really turning into portcharlottefun.com.

Port Charlotte 8 yo 2008/2017 (57.6%, Maltbarn, Château Margaux cask, 169 bottles)

The mention of a Château Margaux cask suggests this PC came directly from Bruichladdich. To be honest, that’s a little worrying (the fact that’s it’s Margaux, not that it came straight from the Distillery), even if it’s from Maltbarn. Ch. Margaux is 75% cabernet sauvignon, the rest merlot with a touch of cabernet franc. Colour: mirabelle. Nose: the wine cask sits prominently atop the distillate, somewhere between blackcurrant bud and blood orange, with a touch of rubber and menthol once again. A good opportunity to remind ourselves that these château casks made from French oak aren’t as heavily charred (or toasted, or burnt) as those crafted for the whisky trade, which are also overwhelmingly American oak. With water: smoked brioche, pastis. Mouth (neat): a textbook Bruichladdich-style dual profile when wine casks are this involved. A hint of cherry gin. With water: not bad at all, round, now rather silky. The red fruits remain present. Finish: long, with still that interplay between peat and red fruits. Comments: really quite good, even more than that, but the 2001 Maltbarns were in a different league, in my humble opinion.
SGP:655 - 84 points.

Port Charlotte 14 yo 2004/2022 (59.7%, Rest & Be Thankful, LMDW Antipodes, sherry cask, cask #R08/258-13, 223 bottles)

Colour: very ripe apricot. Nose: back to those bourbon-like sherry profiles, with varnish, stewed fruits, Jaffa cakes, then raisins and Earl Grey. Then more and more liquorice and peat smoke. Then walnuts and a teriyaki note. A superb nose, in fact. With water: a spiced peach soup with honey and fresh coriander. Star anise, Christmas biscuits (indeed, we’re terribly late for that) … Mouth (neat): massive, with plenty of tobacco, pepper, honey, and orange marmalade. A little bittersweet touch. With water: this mix of vine peach jam with sultanas, liquorice, and burnt wood is simply perfect. Finish: long, with coffee appearing alongside chocolate filled with red fruit liqueur. Comments: absolutely excellent. Almost like some sort of red sherry (which, of course, doesn’t officially exist, though surely some young Andalusian winemakers must be crafting such a thing in secret).
SGP:666 - 88 points.

Port Charlotte 12 yo 2008/2021 (59.9%, OB, Private Cask, Åbrest habn, bourbon barrel, cask #3172, 206 bottles)

Hurrah, a release for Norway! Thank you, Steffen & Peter. Colour: straw. Nose: that lovely purity shines through, with vanilla, lemon liqueur, rather delicate peat, chalk, barley, almond milk, fresh croissants, and apples… With water: damp earth and beach sand emerge, along with raw wool (from Islay sheep, naturally). Mouth (neat): beautiful lemony tension, with ashes and green apple. Quite simple, but in this context, that feels like a strength. With water: excellent, far saltier, with touches of white Jamaican rum and lime. Call it an Ileach mojito if you like. Finish: long, precise, razor-sharp. Comments: it only grew more captivating, second by second.
SGP:656 - 90 points.

Port Charlotte 15 yo 2001/2018 (58.3%, Dramfool, Islay Whisky Festival 2018, hogshead, cask #0847, 195 bottles)

The 2019 edition was rather pleasant, so let’s see what the previous year had to offer. Colour: white wine. Nose: those rooty notes we love—gentian, fresh turmeric, celery, carrot, radish… Then soot, watercress, and fresh hay. Absolutely spot on and rather unusual (which is no contradiction at all, quite the opposite). With water: hints of shoe polish, plasticine, and modelling clay. Mouth (neat): very powerful, sharp, even more rooty and slightly bitter, yet also intensely lemony. Notes of cola. With water: peppery, very smoky, with a fino-like character mixed with pine sap. Still quite unusual. Finish: long, salty, with amaretti, ashes, lemon liqueur, and lingering celeriac. Comments: it almost feels as if another peated Islay whisky had previously occupied this hogshead. Very good, in any case.
SGP:466 - 87 points.

Port Charlotte 14 yo 2003/2017 (60%, Whisky Broker for Tjaerdalen, refill sherry, cask #857, 372 bottles)

This time we are in Sweden. Colour: white wine. Nose: there’s something truly admirable about a refill sherry cask that knows how to behave. Here, its influence on the distillate is just perfect, with nougat, cakes, and above all, honey-roasted peanuts with caramel. Hints of mint mustard—does that even exist? We’ll quickly see what water brings, otherwise, it’s a touch strong… With water: smoked almonds and lapsang souchong, a lovely five o’clock. Mouth (neat): absolutely stunning, ultra-salty and citrusy, with that razor-sharp edge—think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. With water: yes, absolutely flawless. Perfect texture, perfect tension, yet with a seductively rich mouthfeel. Finish: almost a little liqueur-like. Grapefruit liqueur with pepper, green olives, seawater, an oyster, and smoked tea. The aftertaste turns more medicinal, camphory, and just as lovely. Comments: shame we’re eight years late to this one—and frankly, we feel a bit guilty about that.
SGP:566 - 90 points.

Well, it looks like we've reached our goal of 40 Port Charlotte, but we still have a few left to taste. So here’s what I propose: we’ll add one more as a toast and then call it a day. Next time we head to the right lung of Islay, we’ll try to have some Lochindaal, Rhinns, and Octomore. ‘Bye.

Port Charlotte 10 yo 2001/2011 (61.5%, OB, Private Bottling for Marc Segers, rum barrel, cask #253, 236 bottles)

Colour: amber. Nose: it almost feels like the rum cask has added an extra layer of raw intensity to Port Charlotte, manifesting as flintstone and dried meat notes. Enhanced sorrel soup with wine, basalt, charred notes… Quite an unusual profile, though let’s not forget the very high ABV. So… With water: comes across like a rather sulphury sherry, really. Plenty of gunpowder and black truffle. Mouth (neat): yes, very oddly sulphury, almost burnt, bitter, with strong briny notes but also some very dark toffee. I suspect that’s the rum—perhaps an old Guyanese one? With water: black coffee and bitter chocolate. Finish: long, more on meaty, spicy, and salty notes… Loads of cumin in the aftertaste—are we sure this wasn’t genever rather than rum? Comments: what I didn’t mention is that I actually enjoy these ultra-unusual styles. Even if it’s hard to score, they do feel like a bit of a holiday.
SGP:576 - 86 points.

A holiday that I need now…

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