Port Charlotte 18 y.o. - 2026 Limited Release - 52,3%

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 52.3% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The 2026 edition of Port Charlotte 18 is limited to 8,000 bottles. For this heavily peated Islay single malt, Bruichladdich uses exclusively Scottish barley malted to a peat level of 40 PPM. Every stage of production, from conception and distillation through 18 years of maturation to bottling, took place on Islay. The whisky was bottled at 52.3% ABV without added colouring or chill filtration.

The recipe comprises 40% whisky from first-fill bourbon casks, 15% from second-fill sherry casks and 15% from ex-virgin-oak casks. A further 20% initially matured in sherry casks, followed by five years in first-fill red wine casks from the Rhône Valley and a final two years in second-fill bourbon casks. The remaining 10% matured in refill sherry and wine casks. All components were then married for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose combines tropical fruit with gentle wood smoke, warming spices, honeycomb and apricot. With air, honeysuckle, an impression of fresh linen, walnut and oak emerge, accentuating the delicate floral character.
• Palate: The whisky is soft and rounded on the palate. Wood spice, campfire smoke and caramelised brown sugar layer over honeycomb toffee and tropical fruit, followed by leather, charred oak, toasted almond and a fresh salinity.
• Finish: The finish is long, beginning with sweet citrus and vanilla cream before smouldering peat smoke and a light sea breeze linger.

Distillery/Bottler:

Bruichladdich Distillery produces Port Charlotte and also bottles this edition itself. Port Charlotte is its heavily peated single malt range, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay. Founded by the Harvey brothers in 1881, the distillery closed in 1994 and resumed operations in 2001.

On 29 May 2001, Port Charlotte was the first new-make spirit to flow from Bruichladdich's stills after the distillery reopened. PC5 Evolution appeared in 2006 as the range's first publicly available bottling. Port Charlotte belongs to Rémy Cointreau's spirits portfolio. The group acquired Bruichladdich Distillery in 2012.

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