Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01

Distiller whisky taste #100. The first time I drank whisky was also the first time I brought a bottle of whisky. That was sometime in late 2015. The bottle, Glenfiddich 12. Now, some seven years later I find myself writing down my thoughts about these magical liquids for the 100th time. I tried to run down a list of all the whiskies I have tried that didn’t make it onto here and I come up with around 70. Including a single cask french oak Sullivans Cove. The thing is though, I had decided I was going to delve into whisky, like every amateur idiot, and didn’t really know what I was doing. I certainly didn’t have the palate or patience to be sampling or buying some of the things I did. I’d argue thats still the case. That’s 70 whiskies though, 70 whiskies that I didn’t think about or really appreciate. The last year I’ve worked on doing better and making whisky, like my geology, more of a meditative experience. In late 2016 travelling through duty free on the way back to Perth I purchased a bottle of this travel retail exclusive, Port Charlotte CC:01. It was drunk. It was enjoyed. I don’t think it was appreciated as it should have been nor understood though. Over the last year or more something in my taste memory has been telling me this was wonderful and needed to be tried again. It has taken me over a year, but I got one. Currency conversion and import duty hammered me, but I got one. Tonight, I redeem my level 1 amateur self, hit 100 considered tastes, and cash in my EXP and self-promote to level 2 whisky simpleton. N: I’ve let this first neck pour stand for around half an hour next to me. Beautiful aromas have reached me. It’s very bright and crisp. Theres gentle earthiness delivered with the soft herbaceous peat just wafting over. A more determined sniff and I find fruity sweetness, a little mustiness and some peppery tannic notes. It’s taken me a while to figure out, but yeah, theres a sack of white potatoes here too. I think this qualifies as complex. P: An initial hit of high proof warmth but with a pleasant uplifting prickle that warms all the way down. Beautifully restrained herbal peat. Enticingly thick brine that lasts through the whole profile. Sweetness comes from candied ginger and citrus peel, measured with more peat and iodine. The casks fruit and brine battle for my attention. There is a creamy mouthfeel here at times as well as slightly more aggressive woody feel. Both of these textures are delivered by a malty-funk. Everything here just works for me. I think this is great. F: So long. Salty, stone fruit, slightly woody smoke and some earthiness. A few drops of water and another 10 minutes to sit opens up the nose to bring the peat forwards and more representative of the depth of palate that follows. The palate thickens slightly, becomes darker and more like a muddy field in winter. Think about freshly ploughed fields and you might get in the frame of mind that the palate takes me to. But there is also a undertone of creamy custard that feels like a really comfortable jumper. I think this is a rare, if not singular, example of a fully cognac cask matured whisky. Eight years in that barrel. Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01 was bottled at a cask strength with 57.8% ABV, is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Vintage, age statement, full cask details, natural presentation, cask strength; that outstanding transparency by any measure I think. All the good stuff that Bruichladdich puts in their bottles is here. Masterful peat and excellent honesty. There is complexity here for days, and I’m sure I don’t find lots of what is to offer. This is though, not the whisky I remember from six years ago. This is better. I expected more fruit from the cognac, it’s there but I have to work to find it. I like that. A powerful whisky that demands time and attention. Criticism though, is it too complex? There is so much happening. I think I’m OK with that. Is it a little to aggressive on the heat by the end of the pour. Maybe. Importantly, was this worth the extensive hunting and overpayment? Yeah. I think this is awesome stuff. [I don’t have any rocks from Islay, I do have a few from France though. And clocking in at around 220 km from Cognac is this Retrograde Eclogite from Correze. Lovely red garnets in green omphacite with dark reaction rims to the garnets. Original high pressure metamorphism that formed this rock occurred some 420 million years ago and was uplifted (and retrogressed) to the surface around 380 million years ago. Lovely stuff]

Nose (neat): Warm, soft, pillowy peat smoke supported by sweet fruity aromas of berry compote, rhubarb jam and stewed peaches. There is not the slightest hint of alcohol prickle on the nose. Fresh, maritime gusts from Loch Indall at low tide, carried over freshly-turned soil with a hint of a diesel tractor engine idling in the fields. A pinch of sweet citrus (orange? mandarin? tangello?) some lemongrass tea and a little coconut. Over time the nose becomes thicker, richer and more enticing. It’s damn near perfect for a peater with the sharp, forceful elements perfectly balanced by sweetness. Nose (watered): As above, but water initially unleashes the ethanol presence and sends the dram a bit berserk so if diluting give this a good swirl and 10 minutes to regain its composure, which it most certainly will, and it will come back even better than ever. Palate (neat): Sweet elegant and powerful, it’s a bewitchingly plush arrival. The peat smoke billows into sweet fruits, vanilla and gentle cooking spices (cinnamon, vanilla, clove, preserved stem ginger). There is an unctious brininess that reminds me of matjes herrings in oil (drool!) sprinkled with iodine and orange liqueur. The texture is creamy, mouthcoating and velvety like baked egg custard with stewed peaches and apricots. Cask notes are present, but very contained, and they form the foundation character of robust mature fruit that is the heart of this dram and the ideal vehicle for moderately high peating. Palate (watered): As above, and like the situation with the nose, dilution initially sets loose the sharper spicy notes in this whisky, but that is really nice as they balance the softness of the plump neat palate and then over time combine to create one of the best peated whiskies I have tasted. Finish: Long. Sweet lemon, ashy peat smoke and a hint of Laphroaig-esque iodine all lazing on a divan of stewed fruit. The aftertaste is soft, earthy, leathery and demi-sec. With dilution the sweet fruity notes become more prominent. Marvellous. An exquisitely deep, soft peated whisky. I understand this was aged in ex-cognac casks which is a treatment that can be amazing or just as easily go badly awry, but in this case the maturation was textbook. If this was the only whisky I was able to drink for the rest of my life I would not be sad. It is absolutely the sort of peated whisky profile I most enjoy and there is little more I can say other than to thank @DrRHCMadden for generously sharing this sample. It is unobtainium now but when it was first released in Australia you could buy this for AUD$170 a bottle. How I wish I had bought several cases at the time. I have no hesitation in giving this whisky a rating of … “Outstanding” : 91/100 (5 stars)

Nose - Gentle smoke, baked apples, golden raisins, hint of warm salt, hint of apple saltwater taffy (w/ water) Smoke almost disappears but otherwise the same Taste - Gentle charcoal/campfire smoke, sea spray, candied apple, bit drying, golden raisins, sweet habanero drying heat (w/ water) Less sweet, fruity bitterness turned up a bit, otherwise the same Finish - Very drying, light fruity bitterness, apples, golden raisins (w/ water) Same Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - This one had a nice nose, gentle smoke balanced by some salt & fruity/creamy sweetness. The cask influence is fairly subtle in this one as I don't get strong cognac vibes, but rather a more fruity apple creamy custard vibe from this. Add in some salt and a hint of campfire smoke, and it feels like an apple custard, but without the creaminess. Hints of golden raisin are present, but it comes in and out and this drying lightly bitter vibe dominates. Feels a bit hotter than the proof might suggest but a bit of water helps tame that, but I think it elevates any fruity bitter notes in this one. I think this one is best neat or with only a few drops of water, I think I tried to proof this one down to about 50% and the bitterness came out a bit much. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Probably not another NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

I picked this up at Gatwick Airport at World of Whiskies. Rosie straw color. Heavy smoke and barbecue on the nose. Very reminiscent of an Ardbeg Uigeadail, but bigger, or perhaps one of their Octomore whiskies. I feel the cognac barrels add some roundness to the peat note. I'm not picking up true fruit notes but maybe that is the barbecue I'm picking up. Although there is no age statement, the legs seem to indicate at least some age on it. Sweet smoke on the tongue at first, followed by big tobacco notes. A big long finish. Definitely benefits from the extra alcohol content. Doesn't benefit from the water at least for me. It was worth 100 bucks, and worth the premium over the Uigeadail. It's an outstanding Islay product.

A battle between Cognac and pure Islay peat smoke. The nose hints at promises of smoke and vanilla and spice and on the tongue its a scrum. It's like there is a party in your mouth and everyone is invited. The abv is cask strength but there is no alcohol burn or harshness which is surprising for an 8 year old. However, the abv makes its presence felt soon enough. This is some powerful whisky. It takes water really well, mellowing the smoke and opening up new flavors of butterscotch and nuts. This is a complex and powerful dram. I like it.

creamy, complexity, apple, peach, sweetness, mid pep 3 sour balance, sweetness, peachy apple, low pep, complexity with slight oiliness - quite nice but lacks some depth in the taste notes 2.25 aftertaste is slightly oaky, and sourness bitterness 2 2.5 (will give it 2.25) port char CC dry, apple, pear, mid-hi pep, vanilla, nail polish, 2 complexity, creamy, vanilla, apple, sour-sweet-salty mix, oak, 2.75 high sustain, oaky, low peat 2.5 2.25