Port Charlotte Pac:01 2011 Scotch Whiskey 750ml

Port Charlotte Pac:01 2011 Scotch Whiskey 750ml

Two parcels of Scottish barley distilled spirit have matured for a minimum of six years in ex-Amerian oak casks before being transferred to red wine casks from the Gironde left bank, north of Bordeaux. Bottled at 56.1% abv, this spirit showcases stunning spice and fruit notes. It is a rich and elegant, undeniably Islay single malt.

Inspired by an entrepreneurial flair and youthful enthusiasm, the Harvey brothers began construction of the Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-laddie or broo-lah-dee) Distillery in 1881. The brothers were descendants of a dynastic whisky family; their ancestors had already owned distilleries in Scotland for over a century. Today, Bruichladdich Distillery (Bruichladdich means “rocky shore” in ancient Gaelic) remains situated on the shores of Loch Indaal on the island of Islay and continues to use much of the original equipment installed by the Harvey brothers to craft a range of single malt whiskies that are trickle distilled, matured, and bottled on Islay.

The current Bruichladdich Distillery is regarded as the most inventive and daring of Scottish distilleries, incorporating groundbreaking, modern interpretations of time-honored ideas and upsetting the cozy traditions of the whisky industry. Adam Hannett, Head Distiller at Bruichladdich, rejects the start of modern automation and homogenization, preferring manufacturing methods that prioritize liquid quality above all else.

Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte releases are a part of their Cask Exploration series that features Islay single malts that are crafted entirely on Islay. Port Charlotte PAC:01 was distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2021 at 112.2 proof. The first part of the whisky spent 6 years in first-fill ex-American whiskey casks, then an additional 2 years in first-fill casks that used to hold French red wine from the Pauillac region. The second whisky spent 7 years in ex-American whiskey casks before being transferred into the same red wine barrels. Both 8-year-olds were combined into this heavily peated, ruby-colored whisky with notes of dried fruit and spice.

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TASTING NOTES

• Nose

Lots of fresh fruit aromas mingle with the dry peat smoke to entice you into the dram; from the oak come spices—cloves, ginger, and cassia—along with chocolate, toasted malt with toffee, brown sugar, and delicate coconut and vanilla notes. As you nose again, the fruit notes of both the spirit and the wood come together—melon and citrus from the spirit and dried plums and raisin from the cask. The earthy peat smoke wraps around the fruit and spice and holds everything together, highlighting the wonderful marine and ozone notes that breeze through the dram.

• Palate

As the first drop touches your tongue, a wave of flavors sweeps across the palate: the sweetness from the oak and malt lead, followed by the smoke, citrus, and dried fruit notes. Another sip helps to order the flavors, and you find the oak notes, the dried fruit, marzipan, and spice. Caramel and chocolate notes emerge alongside the peat smoke’s earthy richness. A little water opens the citrus fruit and marine elements and brings out a little more of the coconut and vanilla notes from the oak. The structure on the palate is firm and round, which balances the depth of flavor of this whisky.

• Finish

The peat smoke comes through on the finish with a more medicinal phenol style. Coconut and floral notes waver, and a saline marine element combines with the earthy smoke in the classic Port Charlotte style. The oak’s softness and the minerality of the spirit become wrapped in smoke, a familiar signature of this dram.

• Character

The depth of the oak and the harmony it creates with the smoke define this Port Charlotte cask edition’s character. Muscular and round in texture and flavour, yet with a typically dry, earthy smoke and marine breeze style, Port

Charlotte.

 

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