Port Charlotte 2013/2023 - 9 yo - PMC:01

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 54.5% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Extended maturation in former Pomerol red wine casks shapes the heavily peated Port Charlotte PMC:01 single malt. The sixth edition in the Cask Exploration Series, it is also the first Port Charlotte to use this cask maturation. Pomerol is one of Bordeaux’s smallest major wine appellations and lies on the Right Bank. Its red wine casks give the whisky dark fruit and leather notes that mingle with wood and peat smoke.

Scottish Concerto barley was used for this vintage. Following distillation in 2013, the whisky initially matured for four years in first-fill ex-bourbon casks. In 2017, it was transferred to former Pomerol casks, where it spent another five years. The entire nine-year maturation took place on Islay. The whisky was bottled in 2023 at 54.5%, without chill filtration or added colouring.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Warm peat smoke and red fruit emerge first, followed by stewed pear, melon and a delicate maritime note. Rose and geranium add to the aromas, while vanilla, honey, leather and toasted oak remain as nuances. As the whisky opens up, subtle notes of clove and ginger appear, along with a hint of marzipan.
• Palate: On the palate, malt sugar sweetness and peat smoke combine with a distinctly viscous, mouth-coating texture. Juicy blackberries, plums and old leather sit alongside oak, with fruit and wood in balance.
• Finish: Gentle maritime impressions and notes of crushed seashells linger on the finish. A hint of lemon zest adds a fresh accent as the characteristic peat smoke echoes on.

Distillery/Bottler:

Port Charlotte is the heavily peated single malt range from Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. Its whiskies are distilled slowly in tall stills with narrow necks. This approach combines pronounced peat character with an aromatic, finely nuanced spirit. Barley provenance, cask selection and maturation time are central to the differences between the bottlings.

Since the distillery’s revival in 2001, Bruichladdich has paid particular attention to the provenance of its raw materials: where the barley is grown and who grows it are as much a part of understanding the whisky as the cask in which it later matures. Port Charlotte matures entirely on Islay and is bottled using spring water from the island. Under Head Distiller Adam Hannett, the Cask Exploration Series examines how different previous cask contents influence the peated spirit.

Facts: