Nose - Sweet peat, sweet lactic funk, sea spray, charred sugary/syrupy green grapes, syrupy poached pears (w/ water) Mostly the same, but with more salt and a little bit less syrupy sweet Taste - Black pepper, clean salty smoke, sweet syrupy green grapes, sweet triple cream brie (w/ water) Same but much less lactic/sweet cream "funk", slight less sweet Finish - Light lingering tingle, sea spray, smoke, ashy syrupy green grapes (w/ water) Same Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - So this one was good, but it felt a bit one dimensional. Nothing off putting, but just a bit sweet and water tames the sweetness a bit, but sort of ruins the balance. Good bit of Bruichladdich lactic / sweet soft cheese funk in this one that goes great with the sea salt vibes. This feels like a bit of creamy smoked brie where someone added a bit too much sweet grape/pear chutney. It's good, but a bit boring and a tiny bit off balance. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.
About this bottle
Port Charlotte SC:01 2012 is the fifth release in the brand's Cask Exploration Series. Also, this is the first time in this series that 100% Islay-grown barley has been used — Concerto, Propino, Publican, & Oxbridge which was harvested in 2011 from seven Islay farms. The barley was malted to 40 ppm in mainland Scotland and then sent back to Bruichladdich for distillation. The whisky was matured in a combination of sherry butts and first and second-fill American whiskey casks, then they were recasked into ex-Sauternes wine casks at different points in maturation process. Bottled without added color or chill-filtration at 55.2% ABV. (SRP $144.99)
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 8 parsed reviews.
To begin, we get some sea salt caramel, oak, wet hay, bits of vanilla, leather and white pepper, then getting some heavier oak, dried fruit, tinges of apricot and the rush of peat. the finish has a lighter fruit note, peat, mild brine. The finish is long and rich, withinimal ethanol burn. Fantastic islay, reminds me of the ardbeg 13 harpys tale but with more complexity.
Nose: Toasted barley, lemon, smoke Palate: Citrus, honey, oak Finish: Smoke, sweet cinnamon, orange peel, brown sugar Sweet, smoky and citrusy. Really good. 8/10
Nose: peat, oak, floral, citrus, vanilla Palate: ginger upfront, smoky towards the end, citrus in the background Finish: sweet, smoky, bitter tobacco lingers
BLIND TASTING Nose: peat, sweet, dewy Taste: cask strength, smoky/peaty, light sweetness and slightly floral. Kilchoman potentially
Gorgeous, smoky, peaty and yet easy. Any time.
2 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
