Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Islay Barley 2013

1. What they say

Our Port Charlotte Islay Barley expressions are a direct embodiment of everything an Islay whisky can and should be. Conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on the island, with barley raised on our home shores by seven of our farming partners. Our Port Charlotte Islay Barley expressions are a direct embodiment of everything an Islay whisky can and should be. Conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on the island, with barley raised on our home shores by seven of our farming partners.

In 2004, backing our drive for the ultimate “Islay” Islay single malt, farmer Raymond Stewart grew barley for us at Kentraw, just a mile from the distillery. His harvest was then malted and distilled separately – we believe the first time an Islay single malt had been made exclusively from 100% Islay grown grain.

The barley harvest for this 2013 vintage was raised on our home shores in 2012 by seven of our Islay farming partners. Hunter Jackson at Cruach, Ian McKerrell at Island farm, Raymond Fletcher at Dunlossit estate, Donald and Andrew Jones at Coull, Mark French at Rockside, Alastair Torrance at Mulindry and Raymond Stewart at Sunderland all undertook the risk of growing in challenging conditions to deliver the barley for this Scotch whisky with unparalleled provenance.

This Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2013 single malt has been matured in ex-American and ex-wine casks hailing from the Pessac-Leognan region of France. Heavily peated and malted to 40 PPM, this eight-year-old single malt pays homage to its island home.

With redberry fruits, toasted oak notes and hints of coffee and chocolate, it offers a dramatic, smoky finish.

2. Official tasting notes

• The nose opens with delicate floral notes of lily and geranium before warm orange zest and dried earthy peat smoke brings body and gravity. Banoffee pie and digestive biscuit come out from behind the peat smoke and carry forward this dram’s malty, fruity character. Cherry coconut and malted barley counterbalance apricot and melon. Sweet and enticing; the oak and the outstanding peppery phenolic notes are balanced perfectly with the fruit and floral style of our slow, careful fermentation and distillation.
• The first taste is a wondrous thing; all at once the salinity, ripe fruit, light peat smoke, and sweet oak show their presence in a whirl of complexity. There is great texture from the spirit and its maturation allows a subtle almond note to combine with coconut, caramel, vanilla, and muscovado sugar. The peat smoke is beautifully balanced. It is a dram that is gentle on the palate yet has a tremendous depth of flavour.
• The finish is once more perfectly balanced. The smoke, fruit, oak and floral notes melt into each other, and a beautiful creamy texture allows melon, peach and cherry to come through before dwindling into the dry embers of peat in the hearth.

3. Details

• ABV 50%
• Age 8 Years Old
• Bottler OB
• Bottling Islay Barley 2013
• Cask American Oak, French Wine Finish
• Category Single malt scotch whisky
• Cost £75
• Origin Bruichladdich Distillery
• Region Islay, Scotland
• Released 2021

4. What I say

Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte heavily peated expression with an extra kick of Islay stemming from it’s distillation from barley grown on Islay. Matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks for 7 years. Then 25% was finished in 1st fill Pessac-Léognan French wine casks before marrying back with the original parcel.

5. The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

• Colour Mid gold (8/20) beaded, numerous medium-fine tears and fine legs.
• Nose Malty and smoky with just a touch of salinity, nutty hazelnut, shellfish and ozone, musty coal dust, fresh apple and lemon citrus, vanilla, smoky bbq, honey-glazed ham.
• Taste Full-bodied, rich with malty sugars, caramel, honey, bbq sauce, treacle tarts, salted caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, citrus zest, grapefruit, a dash of engine oil and toasted coconut.
• Finish Long, sweet peat smoke and drier wood smoke.

6. Overall

Smoky and coastal exactly as I expected, quite mealy and herbal in places and some sweetness and nutty nature, perhaps from the finishing?

7. Score 86/100