Let’s change things up. This past weekend, we celebrated a special memory by opening some Remy Martin XO cognac. What better opportunity to look at this well-known premium cognac?
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Rémy Cointreau is a French, family-owned business whose origins date back to 1724. The group has an international portfolio of spirits. The brands include Rémy Martin and Louis XIII cognacs, Cointreau liqueur, Mount Gay rum, St-Rémy brandy, The Botanist gin, Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, Octomore single malt whisky, and Westland American whiskey.
Peated whisky is a divisive topic—some adore it, while others find it overwhelming. When I started drinking whisky, I could not appreciate the heavily peated drams. But as I explored more, I began to appreciate the earthy, smoky complexity they offer.
Let’s have a peaty start to tasting notes for 2021 with the Port Charlotte 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky. After the dramatic year that was 2020, I want to start this year on a high note. Start as you mean to continue. Port Charlotte and the Bruichladdich distillery is no stranger on the blog.
The heavily peated Port Charlotte expressions, distilled at Bruichladdich, are a tribute to the old Lochindaal distillery. The Port Charlotte village and the nearby distillery were built at the same time around 1829 on the shores of Loch Indaal.
The distillery closed in 1929, precisely 100 years after it was built. Bruichladdich acquired most of the old distillery buildings and ground back in 2007.
The distillery, now owned by Remy Cointreau, also makes The Botanist Gin, Octomore and Bruichladdich.
Bruichladdich introduced The Port Charlotte 10 year old single malt whisky as the flagship Port Charlotte expression. It’s peated to 40ppm, and drawn from a combination of first-fill American whiskey casks, second-fill American whiskey casks and second-fill French wine casks.
Where Octomore is the Bruichladdich heavily peated expression, Port Charlotte is closer to the standard level of Islay peat. The Port Charlotte 10 year old whisky is non-chill-filtered and with natural colour.
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Port Charlotte 10 year old Whisky Review
REGION: Islay
ABV: 50%
COLOUR: Deep gold
NOSE: I was expecting a bolder nose, but it is delicate and elegant smoke and peat balanced with tropical fruit sweetness. Bits of oak and earth with fudge and sun-ripened oranges. Bits of seaweed and ash with vanilla and sea air.
PALATE: After the elegant nose, I was expecting a softer dram. But it is all bold Islay with peat and wood spices balanced with smoke and toasted nuts. Oak and honey with bits of salt and malt. Very drinkable.
Water softens the peat and brings more caramel sweetness to the front. It softens the wood spice but doesn’t diminish the peaty notes. The higher ABV is barely noticeable. I finished my first glass without adding water and had to pour a second glass.
FINISH: The finish is long and smoky with spicy pepper and fruity sweetness. Soft and delicious.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Just delicious. This Port Charlotte 10 year old Scotch might be peated and smoky, but it is drinkable and elegant. The balance between the peaty notes and the smoke, sweetness and malt is luxurious and inviting you to try more.
It is a complex dram with many layers; each building on the next layer. You barely need water, just a drop or 2. A fantastic dram to start my year with.
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What do you buy for the special person in your life who loves peaty whisky? The peatiest whisky in the world, of course. The fact that it completes the series from the Bruichladdich distillery of which we already have 2 is just the cherry on the cake.
I bought John a bottle of Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley 6.1 single malt Scotch whisky for a special occasion. I can’t even remember what the special occasion was. It might have been a wedding anniversary. John loves peat! I have a sweeter palate and prefer my peat with some sweeter notes.
The Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley whisky was for him, not me. The distillery that bears the title “Worlds most peated whisky”, the Bruichladdich Octomore single malt has a cult following around the world. Some of the recent releases are seated up to 208ppm.
I wrote extensively about the other two brands in the range: the unpeated Bruichladdich and the heavily peated Port Charlotte already. The Octomore name pays homage to a farm located on the hillside above the Port Charlotte village on Islay, not far from the Bruichladdich distillery. The farm operated its own licensed distillery between 1816 and 1852.
The Bruichladdich distillery is currently owned French multinational drinks group Rémy Cointreau.
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Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley 6.1 Whisky Review
The Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley Edition 06.1 is a 5 years old and made from barley harvested from mainland Scotland. This Scottish Barley 06.1 single malt Edition is peated to (only) 167 ppm.
REGION: Islay
ABV: 57%
COLOUR: Golden autumn yellow
NOSE: This dram has that classic Islay nose. Smoke, ash, and peat assault the senses. You can sense the heavy peat from a mile away. It’s big and bold. It’s rich and complex. There are notes of seaweed and salt, iodine and medicinal notes balanced with honey, cinnamon and vanilla.
PALATE: The smoke, ash and peat continue on the palate. There is a honey sweetness that lingers with hints of pepper, cinnamon and sea air. John described it as”… The boldness on the nose climbs into your mouth with a vengeance.
After drinking this dram, I feel like heading out to sea to catch herring – or to invade France. It’s that kind of a dram. It’s big in the mouth, soil and tar on the tongue…” Water soothes the ash and peat a little and brings the sweetness forward.
FINISH: It has a dry finish with peat, pepper and honey. John was lyrical about this dram and he described the finish as “…the finish hangs around like aunt Sally after Christmas dinner. Like her, it refuses to leave. Unlike her, it’s welcome to stay. The ending is charcoal and tar poles. I’ve never tasted tar poles – and thanks to this dram I now have no need. It’s just brilliant.”
RATING: EXCELLENT
It was an excellent present for John and the perfect gift for a peat lover. The surprise, however, was how much I loved it. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. Good thing that I write about this bottle now, because it will not last very long.
Despite being big, bold and earthy, the Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley remains balanced and graceful. Simply delicious!
This brand also made it onto my favourite peated whisky list. You can read this article all the other peated drams that also made it onto the list.
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Now and again, I manage to get my hands on a single cask bottling release. Be it via WhiskyBrother and one of their special single cask bottlings or when friends travel. The Whisky Brother releases are legendary, and I am waiting with bated breath for what is coming out from them this year.
Back to today’s tasting; at the end of 2016, John came home with this bottle of Port Charlotte 10 year old Special Reserve Private Cask Scotch whisky bottling. It is a 10 yo release matured in Sherry casks. John received it as a gift from one of his colleagues. FC knows how much we love whisky and arranged this bottle for us.
Bruichladdich is situated on the beautiful Islay and is known for 3 different styles of whisky. They are bottled as follows: Bruichladdich is the unpeated release, Port Charlotte is peated to a hefty 40 ppm, and Octomore, the heavyweight, peated to an enormous 131 ppm. Bruichladdich is owned by Remy Cointreau.
The Village of Port Charlotte lies just south of Bruichladdich close to the shore of Loch Indaal. There stand the ruins of LochinDaal Distillery that was in operation from 1829 to 1929. The Port Charlotte brand pays tribute to this now silent distillery.
I invited Emily from the Whizzky App to join me on Twiter, to taste this limited release. Emily loves whisky as much as I do, and it is a great privilege to share a dram with such a special lady in the whisky industry.
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Port Charlotte 10 year old Whisky Review
The Port Charlotte Special Reserve is a 10 year old single malt whisky aged in a sherry cask. This bottle is from Cask no 852, and it was distilled 15th October 2003 and bottled 5th March 2014.
REGION: Islay
ABV: 50%
COLOUR: Dark golden syrup colour
NOSE: Peat, sherry, smoke, salt and ash. Dark chocolate and after adding water, there are notes of smoky bacon with cranberry sauce.
PALATE: Ash, earthy peat, Lindt Orange Intense and Salted Caramel chocolate, sherry, vanilla, halva. After adding water to soften the alcohol, there are more sweet noes with hints of cinnamon and liquorice.
I am getting glazed, candied fruit peel and surprisingly less peat than the nose led me to believe @ @WhiskyoftheWeek #WhizzkyPeat #WOTW
— Whizzky (@WhizzkyApp) February 3, 2017
FINISH: Long and lingering with notes of ash, citrus, smoke and earthy peat. Quite spicy
RATING: EXCELLENT
Took a breather & am left feeling like I can taste the inside of my fireplace. In a good way. The best way. @WhiskyoftheWeek #WhizzkyPeat
— Whizzky (@WhizzkyApp) February 3, 2017
An enjoyable, rich, bold and complex dram. The Port Charlotte is not for the faint-hearted. You need to spend some time to appreciate the peat notes. This Port Charlotte is the perfect marriage between the peat and the sherry. Two different elements that work together as an excellent team.
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