Port Charlotte Scottish Barley - Heavily Peated

This is THE every-man's single malt. Not too expensive, but has the taste of a scotch many times the cost. Stands up defiantly against the other Islays. Compares favorably to the venerable Lagavulin 16.

Please nose neat at first and then add water, let it bloom and take your time. Enjoy this lovely experience, and do so with a friend if at all possible.

6th March 2020

Let it sit a bit with a drop or two of water. Unmistakable smoke. Less obvious herbs later. Challenges self control.

10th December 2019

Smells a bit like Iodine, tastes like heaven. A bit of water and Ay Bendito! Amazing!!!

2nd November 2019

Great whisky. Peat hits you from a few feet away. Fabulous

18th August 2018

Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Heavily Peated 50% vol.

The content of phenols at the level of 40 ppm, matures in barrels from American and European oak, non-chill filtered, natural color.

Nose: fruity (citruses), sweet peat, caramel, toffee, ash, earth, oranges, mango, hay, leather, needles, dry leaves, aromatic, mild, floral, vanilla, smoke, traces of rubber, pears, charred wood, iodine sea breeze, sand on the beach, tropical fruits wrapped in smoke.

Taste: delicate, fruity, ripe apple, oranges, then smoke, earth, ash, slightly spicy notes, vanilla, caramel, smoked malt, leather, wet ropes, some medicaments, bandages, iodine, licorice, a bit of salt, dry grass, lime, salty caramel, sea salt, hay.

Finish: long, malty, smoked barley, dry grass, oak, sweetness.

Quite a lot of sweetness wrapped in peat smoke, it's very nice to drink, a lot is happening here and it's worth leaving it in a glass for some time and let the imagination bring with it the power of associations. Peat does not dominate the taste even though it is strongly perceptible. Whisky is well balanced and I will come back to it again and again.

13th July 2018

The nose was smoke. That's it. Needs to sit a while I think.
The palate tingled - totally mystified me but I got popcorn and salty taffy.
The finish lasted and it was warm.

8th June 2018

Very nice n smooth

26th May 2018

At first I wasn't impressed. But if you let it set. It needs to breathe a long time and it changes dramatically. One of my favorites.

8th April 2018

The bottle needs to be open a few days. Best description of taste: Dalwhinnie 15/ Laphroaig 10 blend. It does have everything it needs. For me it is the perfect scotch. I can imagine a better one. Just haven't found it, yet.

12th March 2018

The best breakfast Scotch on planet Earth ;)

15th February 2018

A very nice Islay whisky with some gentle smoke. It would be amazing if they were able to age this for another 8 to 10 years. We have to support the distillers like them that are doing things the right way until they are able to age their stocks for longer!

N:
Lemon and lime sherbet with smoky bonfire and black pepper.
Vanilla, unbaked sugar cookies, salt spray, paprika, eucalyptus, and almonds
Floral daiseys and buttercups, apple juice, white chocolate, icing sugar, slight red wine tannins, and barley sugar

P:
Lemon lime oakiness, white pepper, with slight vanilla
Almonds, unbaked salted sugar cookies, slight bitter white chocolate, spicy cloves
Mild bonfire smoke, sackcloth, apple juice, salted butterscotch donut custard.

1st February 2018

Had the Octomore up at Inverness.... loved it!! Strong Peat!! Visited Islay in 2016 and drove past your campus on our way to Portnahaven to chill out and take in the culture. Spent our last night in Duffy's Pub and sampled both the "Classic Laddie" and your Port Charlotte and consider them both my favorites. PC is # 1. Always a bottle on hand in the house in my "man cave' and a bottle out in the shop with lots of power tools and wood shavings! Hope to return to Islay someday and make it a mission to visit your stills.

2nd January 2018

My new favourite whiskey know what I like

23rd December 2017

I’m a lover of big peaty whisky, and this is a bit of a curiosity. Interesting drunk neat but wonder if a couple more years would make good into great. Added a drop of water per an existing review - vanilla & peat. Boom.

4th November 2017

This has become my favourite whisky.It always delivers a satisfying finish both this and the limited edition.it us one that I recommend to all my friends and those who have never tried.Keep producing great whisky Bruichladdich.

22nd August 2017

Despite being described as heavily peated, this is a lovely smooth whisky with creamy caramel tones. Very easy to drink, it is understandable that those who are looking for the smoky tones and flavours will be disappointed, but ignore your expectations and you will find an amazing whisky.

11th July 2017

My favorite whiskies are all Islays: Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Bowmore, in that order.

This Port Charlotte is very disappointing to me. I expect heavy peat to come with char and ash; this tastes OK on the palate, but the finish is tart and bitter without much smoke or burning. It'd be a serviceable whisky if not for that aftertaste. This joins Talisker Storm as my least favorite island whiskies. Smokehead "The Rock" is a massive improvement over both, and neither is in the same league as any of the big, smoky Islays.

3rd July 2017

I guess after a year of tasting what Scotch has to offer I have come to the conclusion based solely on empty tins and bottles that this is a damn fine whisky ...and the 10 year limited is also a great tasting whisky

15th June 2017

At the end of a hard working day...it is more than satisfying

9th April 2017

It wants to be great, but is still a little brash, much better after it has sat in the glass for awhile.

6th March 2017

One of the best from Islay. Also the packaging is pretty, nothing to do with taste but it's a plus.

20th February 2017

Smooth

23rd December 2016

Went to my usual shop for a Laphroaig QC but they were out so got this to satisfy my need for peat. It is no QC but it's pretty good slightly oaky,slightly briny , lots of charcoal and peat smoke and it's 50% abv tastes a little young though .I think I prefer the classic laddie however. The Sugarbear

18th December 2016

I love single malts!i don't know what the hell this is! Smells and tastes like medicine! It was a gift to me and i told the guy it was waste of his money

3rd December 2016

This is pretty good stuff -- neat it's on the sharper side (tastes young) with some sour/bitter notes, pepper spice and nice doses of peat, iodine and smoke. Underlying malty sweetness as well. With a little water it opens up. Tones down the sharpness, more fruity, some citrus, a bit of subtle apple and pear note sweetness, vanilla with the peat and smoke remaining in tact.

26th November 2016

Legs slow to run, yet ABV is high suggests that the original barley is oily. Nose gives off some tropical fruit notes, mangoes, apricots and pineapple, even some grapefruit reflecting presence of Lactobacilli and ethyl lactate in the spirit after a fairly long and hot fermentation.
Nose also gives off leather from the substantial feints run and slightly malty. Some dried fruit notes, even fruitcake. Smokey, of course with some ash. Citrus fruit from the ethyl acetate. Slight Wood spices from the lignins in the cask.
Despite the PR on this expression, the wood has not overcome the foundation spirit flavours and aromas. IMO the cask influence is very much in the background, which is not a bad thing.
Palate is salty, peat reek, oily, spicy, little indication or evidence of sherry cask. Sweet later on mainly in the finish.
Finish long, smokey, malty, liquorice at the end
Overall a very nice peated malt, in which IMO the spirit is still very influential. Fermentation and distillation are not overcome by cask influence. I couldn't find any Cresols influence, but others might. Guaiacol from peat and American White Oak Cask heavily charred are there in abundance.

24th November 2016

Wasn't so sure about this one at first. I re
Tasted it last weekend and it's fruitier then I remembered. A tad oily, fairly peated and quite 'crisp'. Some water does open it up.

10th October 2016

I only like peaty smokey scotch, and this does not disappoint.
Not as smooth as Lagavolin, but punchier.

13th September 2016

Not a fan of the peaty numbers usually but certainly is quite smooth in my opinion

2nd September 2016

I'm a big fan of Laphroaig. This fails in comparison.

16th July 2016

My first impressions were very average of this whisky but as time has gone on I've really grown to appreciate it!

The Nose is strong, young, ethanol (in a good way) and very peaty! (I love heavily peated)

The taste is so moorish! White pepper, White Chocolate, Intense Vanilla, 5- Spice and best of all sea air and intense smokey peat; it has a Very long finish!

Great design, OK price (all spirits are expensive in Australia). As soon as this bottles finished I'll be picking up a fresh one!

13th June 2016

Interesting Whisky for the collection, a tad expensive though for the quality.

This is on the medicinal end of the peaty spectrum, not much smoke at all (Which i prefer). High percentage which you can really taste, swirl it over your tongue for a few second ands you'll feel the burn! add a teaspoon of water or two then leave this a few minutes to get the best of it.

27th May 2016

This one is probably a crowd pleaser, but not a thriller. It doesn't have any true wow factor that sets it apart. I'd say it's best quality is it's smoothness and drinkability.
It looks like champagne.
The nose is very approachable. Hints of iodine and pepper, with subtle vanilla and citrus notes rounded out by a welcome oak.
It's very soft on the palate, almost silky, but there's spiciness that lingers.
Not a bad choice. It's slightly refreshing and my lady liked it a lot.
Doesn't have that big smoky, peaty punch that I prefer

30th April 2016

Has some nice sweet notes to it along with the peat. IMO it needs a touch of water to 'open up' the favors so that they are not overshadowed by the firey alcohol - it is a 50% ABV after all. But it's not very complex, so wouldn't compare it to Lagavulin or any of the Ardbegs for example. My 4-star rating is a comparison to others in a similar price range.

9th March 2016

This dram is indeed heavily peated, but I don'y think it's a monster by any stretch. It's softened by an incredibly smooth texture and a bit of fruitiness, along with a burnt caramel tone. Gorgeous.
For me, Bruichladdich are leading the way in Scotch single malts. Jim Murray's Whisky Bible tells you all you need to know: I don't think there's a single expression they produced last year that falls below his score of 90/100.

18th February 2016

A brilliant, amorous, smooth and meditative whisky which stands up to the incomparable peated Connemara Irish whiskey with every entitlement to respect. Out of sheer loyalty to the approachable nature of Irish whiskey I have, except for Highland Park, mostly eschewed Scots whisky. Then some friends whose daughter lives near Islay bought me a bottle of Port Charlotte at the distillery and I was able to reach a hand across the water and say "beautifully done"! Port Charlotte is a truly distinguished , approachable and memorable whisky.

10th February 2016

Tried this because I like Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig, but agree with Dulls review. All I got was fire!

9th February 2016

In a nut shell, the peat level of this is in between highland park and ardbeg. Which is good, and easy drinking. Its very creamy, briney, citrusy, and deep and flavourful 50% abv!

it doesn't have that rotten vegetal/meat smoke like in lagavulin, ardbeg, or lapharoig which is a nice change

its sort of like caol ila, very fruity, full bodied and smokey

would I buy again? Yes definitely. For $60 its a must have

16th January 2016

wisky rond, raffiné, élégant au goût......

19th December 2015

I was visiting my local shop and was having a hard decision between Lagavulin and the Port Charlotte. The scotch expert stated Port Charlotte is so full of peat smoke no cigars are needed. I took a chance, bought it and love it! If you do not like peaty scotch stay away, you will be disappointed in the aroma and flavor. If you do like peat, place this one on your shelf!

3rd April 2015

Among Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and most other Islays I've tried thus far (not a huge ton, mostly entry-level bottlings) this is one of my favorites. The only other I have a close fondness for as close as this might be Lagavulin, though it is quite different. This PC is complex, the nose is of youths fighting on a snowy day outside the pub - differing scents vying for attention creating a somewhat turbulent complexity. Takes 5-10 minutes or so to open up - the first sip after pouring does indeed taste a little dull and alcoholic-y (in my opinion, at least), but give it a little time and the nose and taste really start to come out.

8th January 2015

Requested this as a Christmas present hoping it would be like Port Charlotte Peat Project. It is not, very disappointing, little taste, nose and body, the worst expression of Port Charlotte I have come across. Will have to return to Octomore and Smokehead for my peat fix.

6th January 2015

Cannot get past the very strong smell of antiseptic drain cleaner, sorry!

4th January 2015

I was pleseantly surprised by this Scotch. It is one of my favorites now. It has a very complex taste with a long finish. I prefer this over Highland Park 12 and Bowmore.

1st January 2015

My favorite scotch for under $100 Cdn Just bought 4 more bottles for $50 each

6th October 2014

Ontario needs funds to pay it's large debt, so buying any new single malt release will be very expensive. If this is offered in the U.S. for a good price, please post it.

2nd September 2014

I would love to try this but in Ontario, Canada, where I live, this is priced at $109! Think about that. A NAS whisky priced just 8 dollars less the Lagavulin 16 (priced at $117 here)

Someone tell me how it tastes.

25th August 2014

I was expecting more of this. Not complex at all. Yes its very peaty and phenolic but also I found a metallic youth and bitter finish to this. Very alcoholic and sour on the nose. Not for me.

24th August 2014

I'll always have a soft spot for la frog but by and large the peaty Islays are as predictable as they are excellent. Bruichladdich have some interesting and challenging bottles and this is a wonderful dram that is now top of my list for peat and islay. Brutal taken neat with a pungent hot peat that slaps you into submission. Take with ice or water and it opens up into something altogether different and wonderfully composed. Genius in a bottle

29th June 2014

The most useful packaging of any whisky. You can use the stylish metal tube for storing spaghetti, nuts, biscuits, keys, etc. Much more useful than a cardboard box, even one with magnets.

17th May 2014

Its hard to get Bruichladdich whiskies in the U.S. there's some but not many...& this one is a definite must have for U.S. Bruichladdich fans. Big bang for the buck, won't last on shelves too long..

20th April 2014

Wow. Very sweet, very round and long. Think orange infused honey. Let it roll to the back of your tongue and you will get a treat. Incredibly good and less than $60 US. Possibly my new favorite.

7th April 2014

The Port Charlotte Peated came along to me like a somewhat tamed Octomore. It’s quite intense and interesting – and a dash of water might be good with it. It does get your attention focused, and quickly. I should say that I'd started with 15 mL of Caol Ila 12yo, which I liked as an alternative to Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. And I also preceded the Port Charlotte with 15 mL Kilchoman Machir Bay 2013, with an interesting nose and more subdued sherried taste along with its Islay smoke and phenolic comfort. Then, following those two, I had the Bruichladdich Port Charlotte - it quickly had a very focused and intense set of smoke, peat and barley. If I'd had it first, it would have overwhelmed the tasting of the others. By far, the most intense of the three to me. If you try a sample, you might love it. I preferred the more subtle (and somewhat less expensive) Caol Ila and Kilchoman Machir Bay.

18th January 2014