🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

A single dram, but it was a good one.

Interesting and tasty continuation of the Cask project.

First impression 85. Back later for second rating.

87,5

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2021/11/21/b-sides-an-islay-trio/ Distilled in 2010 from a 2009 crop of Scottish Barley, this heavily peated single malt was first filled into an array of ex-bourbon, ex-Syrah and ex-VDN (vin doux naturel) casks. In 2018, this spirit was transferred into Fernando de Castilla oloroso hoggies. distiller.com: ‘The breakdown is as follows: 30% first-fill ex-bourbon, 40% second-fill ex-bourbon, 5% second-fill ex-syrah wine, and 25% ex-vin doux naturel (French fortified wine). In 2018, the whisky was placed into oloroso sherry hogsheads from Fernando de Castilla to finish maturation. It’s bottled without chill filtration’ N: In one word, unctuous. Despite everything – the complex cask maturation program, those wet[tish] casks, a high [40 ppm?] phenol count – incredibly, I find it’s barley first and all the bells n whistles thereafter. Thankfully, the [cardboard-y~matchbox/char-y/flat-packed furniture] oak itself is not overwhelming. Previous cask contents-wise, the [salty] vanilla-y/fruity [feint-y] toffee-d [raspberry coulis/confectionary rhubarb & custard] flavours remain a firm fixture. Surprisingly, it’s not overly animated/dynamic overall [in comparison to some Octomore’s, for example], though it all sits well as a whole, albeit a curious whole. Other descriptors include [dirty chimney]-smoked ham/meats,… wet muddy spinach,… honey,… leathery, a touch of tobacco. I like it. T: We’ve a similar salty crisp yet oily [creamy,.. chocolatey] unctuousness on the palate, becoming more grapey, a touch peppery, some flat Cola fizziness, and phenol-slick-yet-dry/not dry [read on] on delivery. The grape influence is fully involved, juicy, fruity and complimenting, juxtaposed against the dry phenolic > ashy light saline note – the spirit meanwhile remaining resilient. Despite the abv, this one doesn’t swim at all. Diluted, it’s very lacking,… shallow even. As a result, I enjoyed most of the bottle neat, happy to persist [life is hard, eh?] with the manageable spicy edge. F: The peatiness is relatively muted/tamed for Port Charlotte, but I think that’s the grape influence at play. All that farmy carbolic dirtiness is there, albeit slightly buried. As a result, the finish is initially short if lingering, not dissimilar to a [JW Black: WLP83] blend. Question is, where’s that lovely barley spirit gone? The spirit remains firm – the Laddie way – if rather simple/basic at this stage. We finish with more of the fruity vanilla-y [lime cubes] confectionary cocktail over phenolic/ashy/smoky Twix and toasted tea cakes,… a hint of mackerel skin? C: Gimmicky/fun/worthwhile? You decide. I enjoyed every drop. Score-wise, unctuous barley-led oiliness should never be overlooked. On the other hand, this high-octane colourful whisky looks good initially, but is easy scrutinised. Bruichladdich’s [slightly more affordable] Bere Barley is a better choice.

1773) Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, OLC:01, 2010/2020, 9YO, Cask Exploration Series

Laddie has now cut out some very tasty PCs, the OLC: 01 is probably not what everyone expects from the abbreviation, in my opinion the pre-assignments clearly set the tone here and the Oloroso finish only has a complementary effect and gives the finishing touches , as it should be with a finish.

may 2021 first of all i must say that port charlotte is one of my favorite product lines from one of my favorite distilleries. in addition, i am a sucker for peated stuff with sherry or other sweet wine influence. therefore i guess it is hard for me to stay objective here :) the casks used here influenced the destillate a lot, while not making it to a "sherry soup" you are offered more and more these days by IBs. this stuff shows gentle peat muscle, covered with this red fruit cocktail. yes, this is nice indeed. i have not been disappointed at all.

Aroma Lovage, chocolate, sweet, nut, herbs, pepper The taste Sweet, spicy, acid, wine notes, nut aftertaste Medium length, sweetish, maritime, astringent

Overall a great peated whisky - the only problem for me not scoring 90+ is the price

Blind Tasting

- a very intense but also very good Port Charlotte - tastefully at eye level and even better than lots of octomores - for 90 € quite expensive for 10 years BUT still clearly cheaper and better than many Octomores, therefore the price / performance here fully ok

it is "only" 9 to 10 years old, it costs a proud "95 €", it is not fully matured in sherry casks ... and still ... it's a brilliant "LADDIE" ... a top malt !!! [Color] = mahogany;

It seems a little unbalanced to me. Due to the single-digit age, the PC has power, but lacks finesse. Unfortunately only mediocre due to the lack of maturity.

Very good for the money

A very successful, powerful bottling with excellently integrated alcohol.

very tasty pc. Wonderful combination of flavors. In the nose it weakens a bit, but on the palate and in the finish it shows a wonderful profile. I like it very much.

A horizontal tasting of PC Cask Exploration Series Port Charlotte 2010 - OLC: 01 -84 Port Charlotte 2012 SC: 01 - 83 Port Charlotte 2013 PMC: 01 - 85 All are quite cask-led, which is the whole point of the series. All quite nice but isn't significantly better than the staple PC 10.

Smoked bacon, honey, currants, campfire, caramel, salted lemon, ash, a little pepper.

Nose: bonfire smoke, white light fresh ash of fallen wood, a bit of sea, seaweed, pleasantly sweet (in my climate) red semi-sweet wine, red fruits, hard candies, dark fruits, raisins in honey, spices, white pepper. Taste: exceptionally structured, delicate and quite oily, in the foreground a lot of sweetness, milk chocolate, nougat, forest fruit jam, grandma's compote, rhubarb compote, sweet citrus fruits, all surrounded by peat smoke, salty fruits, wet tobacco and a bit of something spicy. Finish: medium long, smoky, salty and tart, dried fruits, cocoa, a bit of salty cirrhosis, humidor scent.

Oloroso worked well, a decent molt

Really nice, well presented, rounded whisky, nose is simply beautiful. There is no problem to drink this at full strength. Will not feel bad if I should drink this one for the rest of the winter!

I was conflicted on this bottle— on the one hand it had some wonderful notes, good structure, and a nice finish, so it cannot be considered anything but a good bottle. On the other hand, the flavor profile was not as clean and well defined as the CC:01 or MRC:01 and the other limited releases from Port Charlotte. While I this did have a bit better mouthfeel than those other releases, it felt unfocused and not rich enough for distinct layers of flavor to really come through. It ended up feeling a bit muddled. The Oloroso influence was overall tame besides a bit of fig, coffee, and chocolate on the palate. The dram also seemed absent much of the delicious and strange funky-barnyard notes I think of with Port Charlotte. While it might sound like I am being a bit harsh, I did actually enjoy this dram. Mental Image: Morning Coffee at the Camp Grounds.

[91 - 87 = extremely tasty -> I'd better get a second bottle]

Fine peat, citric, caramel, vanilla, dark dried fruits, oak wood. Balanced, creamy, good body, good intensity, one-dimensional without depth.

It has a relatively oily viscosity and its bouquet is of a relatively strong intensity. I have aromas of maritime peat smoke, cowshed, honey sweetness, nuts, vanilla, peppery heat and red fruits. Moderately complex. Relatively sweet in taste. The alcohol is pretty well integrated and it's quite heavy in body.

Notes from a blind tasting. If you need water, then it becomes really tasty.

The last Casks Exploration I tried was the MRC (Mouton-Rotchschild), I initially liked but enjoyed less with time because of its proeminent winey notes. This OLC has subdued winey notes (good thing) and I really liked the sharp and dry palate. A good Port Charlotte.

Peat, fruit, ash... all blended together beautifully.

Sample courtesy of Gwhisky.tw

A delicious and versatile malt with well-integrated alcohol. It somehow pairs perfectly with the ever-present, underlying smoke. I really like it.

Water: NO Conclusion: youthful Black Art with peat, very easy to drink. The red wine has more dominance here than the finish in Oloroso barrels