Port Charlotte

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > P

PORT CHARLOTTE

5 years old

63,5 %

EVOLUTION P C 5
2001
CASK STRENGHT
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Scotch Whisky Heavily Peated
Distilled 2001
Matured in Top Quality American Oak
and Sherry Casks
Bottled 2006
Limited Release
Numbered Bottles
6038 Bottles
Non Chill - Filtered
Colouring Free
Distilled, Matured and Bottled at
Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay

De eerste botteling van de Port Charlotte, zwaar geturfrookt en geproduceerd vlak na de heropening in 2001.

Genoemd naar de reeds lang verdwenen distilleerderij (1829 - 1929) en ook genoemd Lochindaal en Rhinns in de gelijknamige plaats op Islay.

Gerijpt in de oude warehouses van Port Charlotte.

In homage to the exceptional single malt produced in The Islay Village of Port Charlotte until 1929

PORT CHARLOTTE

7 years old

61 %
SIN AN DOIGH ILEACH P C 7
2 0 0 1
CASK STRENGHT
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Scotch Whisky Heavily Peated
Distilled 2001
Bottled in 2008
Limited Release
Numbered Bottles
24000 Bottles
Non Chill - Filtered
Colouring Free
Distilled & Bottled on the Isle of Islay
at Bruichladdich Distillery

PORT CHARLOTTE

Aged 8 years

60.5 %
AR DUTHCHAS P C 8
2 O O 1
CASK STRENGHT
ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Distilled 2001
Bottled 2009
Limited Release
30.000 Numbered Bottles
Non Chill Filtered
Colouring Free
Distilled & Bottled on the Isle of Islay
At Bruichladdich Distillery

PORT CHARLOTTE

Aged 8 years old

66.3 %

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Society Single Cask No: 172.2
Distilled Dec. 2001
Cask Type: Refill Barrel
Outturn: 247 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh.
"On the Beach

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle

has been passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world

and approved for release as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight

our members are selected, true to our motto:” To leave no nose upturned”

Bath salts and dentist’s mouthwash in a barber’s shop. Only when you taste

does the smoke hit you, along with intense sweetness and salt spray. Water

modifies the smoke to burnt marshmallows, with faded creosote behind.

Complex for its age.

Are we in a barber’s shop or at the dentist ? Mouthwash is first apparent,

then bath salts followed by that clean Bay Rum shampoo barber”s shop

scent. No smoke…..until you taste it. Intensely und surprisingly sweet to

start, then very salty, then Boom;big smoke, and a long smoky aftertaste.

Bold and intense, but drinks well at full strength. With water the smoke –

becomes more billowy to start with, with burnt marshmallows, then warm

wood washes with faded creosote and smells from the sea.

The taste remains big and sweet, with masses of smoke; refreshing over-

all; mouthcooling, but warming in its effect.

There are plans to revive this distillery; currently it is made at Bruichladdich.

PORT CHARLOTTE

Aged 8 years old

66.8 %

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
WHISKY FROM A SINGLE CASK
Society Cask No: 127.4
Distilled: Dec. 2001
Cask Type: Refill Hogshead
Outturn 238 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, leith, Edinburgh.
"On the road to Kathmandu"

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle

has been passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world

and approved for release as a Society bottling. Only single cask whiskies

that promise to intriguie, entertain and delight our members are selected,

true to our motto:’ To leave no nose upturned’

Smoky and herbal, the nose also has maritime notes, heather, bacon and

tar. Water elicits ‘hippy fragrances’Aand new laid roads. The palate, sweet,

herbal and meaty, has smoke and flames dancing on the tongue; flowers,

chocolate, liquorice and fudge.

The smoky, herbal nose brought tears to our eyes. It also had mineral and

maritime notes, with heather, bacon, cornflakes and tar. The unreduced

palate was fierce – sweet, tarry, herbal and meaty; smoke and flames

danced diabolically on our tongues (‘burnt botanicals’ and incinerated toast).

The reduced nose still required caution – violets, pine, patchouli and other

‘hippy fragrances’ with freshly laid tar – ‘the Road to Kathmandu’suggested

one panelist.The reduced palate remained huge – tar, smoke, burnt flowers

and dark sweetness ( chocolate and liquorice fudge) – toothstripping, but

with great personality; Supposed a ‘medium – peated’ version of distillery 23 –

Heaven help us !

PORT CHARLOTTE

Age 6 years

65,2 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
WHISKY FROM A SINGLE CASK
Distilled August 2003
Cask Type: Refill Barrel / ex Bourbon
Society cask No: 127.6
1 of 241 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults,
Leith, Edinburgh
Send out an SOS !

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has

been passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and appro-

ved for release as a Society bottling. Only single cask whiskies that promise to

intrigue, entertain and delight our members are selected, true to our motto: “To

leave no nose upturned”

The nose has charcoal, mustard, sticky toffee pudding, pumice and heather;

water brings out beach barbeques (charcoal embers, smoke, hot rocks) The

palate is eye – watering, breath – taking and manly, with pork ribs, lavender,

heather honey, big smoke, burnt lemons and petrol

Panellists made lots of contributions describing the nose – charcoal, firelighters,

pumice, mustard, tobacco, sticky toffee pudding, heather and rosemary. The

unreduced palate had huge heat – “Send out an SOS !”said someone, Ëye-

watering but good”said another – pork ribs, bog myrtle, lavender, heather honey

and petrol. The reduced nose evoked beach barbeques (smoke and charcoal

embers on the rocks) seaweed, sushi, Caramac and pepper. Even diluted, the

palate was called “Fabulpous”, “Enormous”, “Breath – taking”and “Manly”: big

smoke, burnt lemons and herbs.

The whisky scientist said, “I’have never had so much to say about a whisky”The

whisky initials are Politically Correct.

PORT CHARLOTTE

AN TURAS
MOR

46 %
ISLAY SINGLE MALT
Scotch Whisky
BRUICHLADDICH HEAVILY PEATED
SCOTCH WHISKY
Non chill – filtered
Colouring free
Distilled, matured and Bottled at
Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay, Scotland

This Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt Whisky has been distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery

by Master Distiller Jim McEwan in homage to the exceptional single malt produced in

the village of Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay, until 1929.

An Turas Mor: Literally “The Great Journey “, and for those that have walked with us on

The Odyssey of this bold and purposeful Islay Spirit, The road takes another turn and

another rich vista opens out before us.

For us, this feels like our young Ileach has finally come of age. With P C 5, 6, 7 and 8 we

shared with you the quiet and beguiling evolution of this powerful Hebridean Dram.

Now head distiller Jim McEwan offers us a glimpse of his original vision for Port Charlotte –

A vatting of selected casks ro create a definitive statement of intent: “Cuairt Beatha”……

The walk of life continues.

PORT CHARLOTTE

1 0

46 %

Aged 10 years Heavily - Peated

Islay Coastal Single Malt

HEAVILY PEATED ISLAY

SINGLE MALT

4 0 PPM

Jim McEwan Bruichladdich Head Distiller

Distilled, matured and Bottled at

Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay

This “Peat Project” bottling brings together spirit from a number of different vintages for

added complexity, and is head distiller Jim McEwan’s statement of his vision for Port Char-

lotte: The power of peat with elegance, complexity and the floral topnotes for which our

Bruichladdich stills are famous.

Peated to 40 P P M and bottled using Islay spring water from the Octomore field of farmer

James Brown.

The heavily – peated Port Charlotte spirit was some of the first to run after we had resur-

rected this wonderful Victorian distillery. While our core Bruichladdich spirit is elegant,

complex and unpeated, a persistent thought intrigued us:

What would happen if we used our tall, long – necked Victorian stills to produce a heavily –

The floral elegance of Bruichladdich and heavy peat – could it work?

You will judge the results of this fascinating – and ongoing – mission for ourselves: The

Port Charlotte Peat Project.

PORT CHARLOTTE

Age 9 years

65,9 %

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

FROM A SINGLE CASK

Society Cask Code: 127.15

Date distilled: 21st June 2002

Cask type: Refill Barrel / Ex Bourbon

1 of only 256 bottles

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh

A jostling jingle - bag

We, the Tasting Panel verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been passed

through some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for release as a

Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members are selected, true to our motto: “To leave no nose upturned”.

The nose combines germolene, cinnamon, coal – dust, sherbet fizz and peaches; water

brings lavender, burnt ginger and volcanic ash. The palate has sugar – glazed donuts in a

coal cellar, roasted toffee, pepper, heather, lime and salt – later, liquorice, leather and

mineral notes.

The nose was a jostling jingle – bag of germolene, lavender, cinnamon and coal dust, fondant

lollies, sherbet fizz, peaches and citronella.

The palate had us leaping all over the place ( in more ways than one) – sugar – glazed donuts

in a coal cellar, roasted coffee beans, white pepper, heather, lime and salt.

Water (and it takes plenty) turned the nose fragrant and “blousy” ( must be the lavender)

turpentine, burnt ginger and volcanic ash.

The reduced palate uncovered nice nuttiness, leather, liquorice, pastis, parma violets and

flinty mineral notes.

This peaty beasty from the Rinns was too much for one panelist – the rest loved it.

PORT CHARLOTTE

59,8 %

P C 1 0

TRO NA

LINNTEAN

ISLAY SINGLE MALT

BRUICHLADDICH HEAVILY PEATED

SCOTCH WHISKY

Non - Chillfiltered, Colouring Free

Distilled, Matured and Bottled at

Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay

This Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt Whisky has been distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery

by master Distiller Jim McEwan in homage to the exceptional single malt produced in the

village of Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay, until 1929.

Extraordinary to think of the great pride we felt when bottling P C 5 back in 2006, in our

heart of hearts, none of us knew whether we’ d still be around to celebrate P C 10.

This fantastic spirit’s coming of age, it’s been a long and rocky road but P C 10 is here and

This new Isl is the youngest distilleryay single malt has reached it’s milestone - it’s here to stay.

As we look forward to the rich future of this young Ileach, we bringb with us the next

generation here at Bruichladdich.

Allan Logan , and has been learning his trade at Jim’s right hand for 10 years. He and other

young craftsmen coming through are the future of this distillery – we recognize them now –

“Tro Na Linntean”: Trough the generations”.

PORT CHARLOTTE

Aged 12 years

63 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date Distilled: 21st June 2002
Cask Type: Refill Barrel / ex Bourbon
Outturn: One of only 159 Bottles
Society Single Cask No: 127.40
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
Mango chicken vindaloo

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

Peat compost, cedar wood essential oil and Jamaican ginger cake next to chilli, lime and

coriander prawns. The taste neat was a hot and spicy mango chicken vindaloo. Water

added spice – crusted tuna with charred peppers as well as a sweet espresso

Deep and earthy aromas to start with; peat compost, cedar wood essential oil,

pumpernickel bread and Jamaican fresh toot ginger cake. There were fesher notes as

well of chilli, lime and coriander prawns as well as Thai ginger – lemongrass shrimps.

The taste neat was hot, spicy and sweet like a mango chicken vindaloo dish with raisins

and sultanas,

Water released a charcoal aroma like that of grilled chicken bacon rashers and spice –

crusted tuna with charred peppers and lime .

The taste now had plenty of spice, cinnamon and cloves but at the same time that of a

Sweet strong espresso and strawberry and black pepper cake.

Peated

PORT CHARLOTTE
Aged 12 years

64,8 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date Distilled: 21st June 2002
Cask Type: Refill Barrel / ex Bourbon
Outturn: One of Only 247 Bottles
Society Single Cask: CODE: 12 7 . 4 1
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
Wham bam thank you ma'am !

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

Beeswax on leather, heather honey, Germolene and lavender oil. Bacon cooked over charred

wood with HP sauce. It cleaned up with pistachio Turkish delight and camphor scented cashmere

jumpers. Charred spare ribs and Monin syrup with, yes more lavender.

Fire in the first aid box! Beeswax on leather, heather honey, singed bandages, Germolene

and old peat hearth. Fragrant lavender oil from incense burner drifted over the top.

Sausages and bacon cooked over charred wood and dried lavender, served with fruity HP

sauce and almond toasted with honey.

Water only emphasized more of the same but cleaned up with shortbread, pistachio

Turkish delight.

Lux flakes and camphor scented cashmere jumpers from the chest.

To finish, the panel found blackened spare ribs with a salty, peppery crust and Monin coffee

syrup with….wait for it…more lavender!

PORT CHARLOTTE
50 %
SCOTTISH BARLEY
HEAVILY PEATED
Islay Single Malt
Peated to 40 PPM and Bottled using
Islay Spring Water from the Octomore
Field of Farmer James Brown
Non Chill - Filtered
Colouring Free
Distilled, Matured and Bottled at
Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay

The heavily peated Port Charlotte spirit was some of the first to run after we had

resurrected this wonderful Victorian distillery, while our core Bruichladdich spirit

is elegant complex and unpeated, a persistent thought intrigued us.

What would happen if we used our tall ,ong – necked Victorian stills to produce

a heavily – peated spirit? The floral elegant of Bruichladdich and heavy peat –

could it work? You will judge the results of this fascinating – and ongoing –

mission for yourselves : The Port Charlotte peat product.

We believe Terroir Matters:

We believe in Islay,

We believe in People.

We believe

In Authenticity,

Provenance and

Traceability.

We believe in slow

We believe

In Challenging

Convention

We believe in the

Soul of the Artisan

PORT CHARLOTTE
2 0 0 8

50 %
ISLAY BARLEY
HEAVILY PEATED
To 4 0 P P M
ISLAY SINGLE MALT
6 FARMS
6 TERROIRS
Coull, Kynagarry, Island, Rockside,Starchmill, Sunderland
Using Spring Water from the Octomore Field
Of Farmer James Brown
Port Charlotte
The Heavily Peated Bruichalddich Scotch Whisky
Distilled, Matured and Bottled Un - Chill Filtered
and Colouring Free at Bruichladdich Distillery,
Isle of Islay, Scotland

Port Charlotte single malts proudly carry the name of the Islay village that clings to the

shore of Loch Indaal, two miles south of Bruichladdich.

Although elegant and floral, these are heavily peated whiskies, evocative of the

characteristic style of the old 19th century distillery that finally fell silent in 1929.

We believe that Islay whiskies should have an authenticity derived from where it is

distilled and where it is matured, from the philosophies of those who distil it; a

sense of place, of terroir, that speaks of the land, the barley and water from which

it was made, and of the human soul that gave it life.

Bruichladdich has made commitments to Islay farmers who now grow barley for us

to distil single malt from 100 % Islay barley for the first time in the Island’s history.

Multiple farms, multiple terroirs our aim is to create a product of flawless integrity

and the most thought provoking whisky possible.

6 Farms, 6 Terroirs:

Coull, Kynagarry, Island, Rockside, Starchmill, Sunderland.

“Once again Land and Dram united”.

We believeTerroir Matters

We believe in Islay

We believe in People

We believe in Authencity, Provenance and Traceability

We believe in Slow

We believe in challenging Convention

We believe in the Soul of the Artisan

PORT CHARLOTTE 29Th May 2001

PORT CHARLOTTE

46 %

Aged 10 years

HEAVILY PEATED ISLAY SINGLE MALT

Islay Coastal Single Malt

Distilled, Matured and Bottled at

Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay

Our mission was to explore the union of the elegance of spirit by the

Bruichladdich stills and the heavily peated single malt style which

Islay is famous.

This spirit represents a great milestone for us at Bruichladdich. The

Port Charlotte project has been a great – adventure – journey with

many twists and winds, and no few surprises along the way.

And here it is finally at 10 years – a landmark age for a whisky, and a

Opportunity for us to pause to look back over the road travelled,

to reflect and to look again with fresh eyes on the fascinating road

to come.

G. W. F. Hegel:

“Thus to be independent of public opinion is the first fromal condition

of achieving anything great or rational wheter in lif or in science”.

Islay

PORT CHARLOTTE also see Bruichladdich, Octomore

PORT CHARLOTTE 46 % THE PEAT PROJECT THE HEAVILY PEATED BRUICHLADDICH SCOTCH WHISKY ISLAY SINGLE MALT Distilled, matured and Bottled at Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay

This "Peat Project" bottling brings together spirit from a number of different vintages for added complexity, and is head distiller Jim McEwan's statement of his vision for Port Char-
lotte: The power of peat with elegance, complexity and the floral topnotes for which our
Bruichladdich stills are famous.

Peated to 40 P P M and bottled using Islay spring water from the Octomore field of farmer
James Brown.

The heavily - peated Port Charlotte spirit was some of the first to run after we had resur-
rected this wonderful Victorian distillery. While our core Bruichladdich spirit is elegant,
complex and unpeated, a persistent thought intrigued us:

What would happen if we used our tall, long - necked Victorian stills to produce a heavily -
The floral elegance of Bruichladdich and heavy peat - could it work?

You will judge the results of this fascinating - and ongoing - mission for ourselves: The
Port Charlotte Peat Project.
Our mission was to explore the union of the elegance of spirit produced by the Bruich-
laddich stills and the heavily peated single malt style for which Islay is famous.

This spirit represents a great milestone for us at Bruichladdich. The Port Charlotte project
has been a great - adventure - a journey with many twists and winds, and no few surprises
along the way.

And here it is finally at 10 years - a landmark age for a whisky, and a opportunity for us to
pause to look back over the road travelled, to reflect and to look again with fresh eyes
on the fascinating road yet to come.

G. W. F. Hegel:

"Thus to be independent of public opinion is the first formal condition of achieving
anything great or rational wheter in life or in science".

This Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt Whisky has been distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery
by master Distiller Jim McEwan in homage to the exceptional single malt produced in the
village of Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay, until 1929.

Extraordinary to think of the great pride we felt when bottling P C 5 back in 2006, in our
heart of hearts, none of us knew whether we' d still be around to celebrate P C 10.

This fantastic spirit's coming of age, it's been a long and rocky road but P C 10 is here and

This new Isle is the youngest distillery single malt has reached it's milestone - it's here to stay.

As we look forward to the rich future of this young Ileach, we bring with us the next
generation here at Bruichladdich.

Allan Logan , and has been learning his trade at Jim's right hand for 10 years. He and other
young craftsmen coming through are the future of this distillery - we recognize them now -
"Tro Na Linntean": Trough the generations".

The heavily peated Port Charlotte spirit was some of the first to run after we had resurrected

this wonderful Victorian distillery, while our core Bruichladdich spirit
is elegant complex and unpeated, a persistent thought intrigued us.

What would happen if we used our tall ,ong - necked Victorian stills to produce
a heavily - peated spirit? The floral elegant of Bruichladdich and heavy peat -
could it work? You will judge the results of this fascinating - and ongoing -
mission for yourselves : The Port Charlotte peat product.

Port Charlotte single malts proudly carry the name of the Islay village that clings to the
shore of Loch Indaal, two miles south of Bruichladdich.

Although elegant and floral, these are heavily peated whiskies, evocative of the
characteristic style of the old 19th century distillery that finally fell silent in 1929.

We believe that Islay whiskies should have an authenticity derived from where it is
distilled and where it is matured, from the philosophies of those who distil it; a
sense of place, of terroir, that speaks of the land, the barley and water from which
it was made, and of the human soul that gave it life.

Bruichladdich has made commitments to Islay farmers who now grow barley for us
to distil single malt from 100 % Islay barley for the first time in the Island's history.

Multiple farms, multiple terroirs our aim is to create a product of flawless integrity
and the most thought provoking whisky possible.

6 Farms, 6 Terroirs:
Coull, Kynagarry, Island, Rockside, Starchmill, Sunderland.

"Once again Land and Dram united".
We believeTerroir Matters
We believe in Islay
We believe in People
We believe in Authencity, Provenance and Traceability
We believe in Slow
We believe in challenging Convention
We believe in the Soul of the Artisan

A heavily peated single malt, distilled on the Isle of Islay at Bruichladdich distillery.

Port Charlotte is Bruichladdich’s heavily-peated single malt, with a peating level of around 40ppm. Bruichladdich describes Port Charlotte as having ‘the power of peat with the elegance, complexity and floral top notes for which our Bruichladdich stills are famous’.

The first Port Charlotte release was the five-year-old PC5 Evolution, and successive bottlings have included Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 (distilled from barley grown on Coull, Kynagarry, Island, Rockside, Starchmill and Sunderland farms), Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Eòrna Na h-Alba (PC11) and the travel retail exclusive PC12 Oileanach Furachail. The latter marks the retirement of Bruichladdich master distiller Jim McEwan and the succession of Adam Hannett to the role.

The Port Charlotte brand commemorates the former Lochindaal distillery, which operated in the village of Port Charlotte two miles south of Bruichladdich from 1829 until 1929. Initially known as Port Charlotte distillery, the facility was making 128,000 gallons of spirit per annum during Alfred Barnard’s mid-1880s visit, which compared with Lagavulin’s 75,000 gallons and the 250,000 gallons being produced by Ardbeg at the time.

In 1920 Lochindaal’s owner, JF Sheriff & Co, was bought out by Benmore Distilleries but just nine years later Benmore was purchased by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), which immediately closed Lochindaal.

The plant was subsequently removed although some of the buildings continued to be utilised by the now defunct Islay Creamery until the 1990s, while others were taken over by a garage business and Islay Youth Hostel. Two substantial, stone-built warehouses have remained in use for the maturation of spirit, and it is there that today’s Port Charlotte single malt is aged.

There too Bruichladdich planned to create a new distillery in which to produce heavily-peated whisky, but the plans never came to fruition, and it seems highly unlikely that distilling will return to the village since the acquisition of Bruichladdich by French company Rémy Cointreau in 2012.

The Bruichladdich team notes that ‘following his visit here [to Lochindaal] in 1885 Alfred Barnard wrote ‘Peat only is used in drying the malt, fired in open chauffeurs,’ a testament supported in a few surviving faded photographs showing the huge peat stacks waiting to be fed to the kiln fires. Port Charlotte is in essence a tribute to the men who worked Lochindaal.

Production of Port Charlotte at Bruichladdich commenced on 29 May 2001, and was the very first distillation carried out by the new distillery team after its revival in the hands of Murray McDavid, following five years of silence.

Few single malts start their journey in such a complex combination of casks. Fewer still complete their journey in genuine Oloroso sherry hogsheads from a fine Spanish bodega like Fernando de Castilla.

Demonstrating the versatility of our heavily peated Port Charlotte spirit, we introduce the latest in our Cask Exploration series.

Our Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010 will replace our Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010 as a limited edition, cask strength release. It is shipping now from our distillery shop and will be made available to your local stockist in the coming weeks and months.

PORT

CHARLOTTE

ISLAY BARLEY

2012

This high provenance, heavily-peated single malt was distilled from Islay-grown barley in 2012. A total of eight Islay farms came together to harvest the 2011 crop for Port Charlotte over a tempestuous summer. Each farmer had worked with us before, in Hunter Jackson, Ian Torrance, Ian MacKerrel, Raymond Fletcher, Mark French, Alistair Torrance, Raymond Stewart with father and son team Donald and Andrew Jones. Our community’s commitment to Islay is embodied here, where local barley is raised, distilled, matured and bottled only on Islay.

Our Port Charlotte Islay Barley expressions are a direct embodiment of everything an Islay whisky can and should be. Not only is it conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on the island, but the barley harvest for this 2013 vintage was also raised on our home shores in 2012 by seven of our Islay farming partners. Hunter Jackson at Cruach, Ian McKerrell at Island farm, Raymond Fletcher at Dunlossit estate, Donald and Andrew Jones at Coull, Mark French at Rockside, Alastair Torrance at Mulindry and Raymond Stewart at Sunderland undertook the risk of growing in challenging conditions to deliver the barley for this Scotch whisky with unparalleled provenance. This eight-year-old single malt has matured in ex-American and ex-wine casks hailing from the Pessac-Léognan region of France.

“THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT HOW THE ISLAY GROWN BARLEY HOLDS THE SMOKE BACK FOR A MOMENT UNTIL RELEASING IT DRAMATICALLY ON THE FINISH.”

– ADAM HANNETT

TASTE NOTES

ALDEHYDIC

OAKY

NUTTY

SPICY

MARINE

SMOKEY

CITRUS

SHERRIED

MALTY

VANILLA

FLORAL

FRUITY

PORT

CHARLOTTE

ISLAY BARLEY

2013

TASTE NOTES

Nose -The nose opens with delicate floral notes of lily and geranium before warm orange zest and dried earthy peat smoke brings body and gravity. Banoffee pie and digestive biscuit come out from behind the peat smoke and carry forward this dram’s malty, fruity character. Cherry coconut and malted barley jostle with apricot and melon. The nose is so enticing; the sweetness of the oak and the outstanding rubbery, peppery phenolic notes are balanced perfectly with the fruit and floral style of our slow, careful fermentation and distillation.

Palate – The first taste is a wondrous thing; all at once, the salinity, the fruit, the light peat smoke, and the sweet oak show their presence in a whirl of complexity and entice you in to go again. There is great texture from the spirit, and its time resting in carefully selected oak allows a subtle almond note to combine with coconut, caramel, vanilla, and muscovado sugar. The peat smoke in this whisky is as beautifully balanced as ever, weaving through the components, highlighting them but not dominating. A dram that is gentle on the palate yet has a tremendous depth of flavour.

Finish – The finish again shows the balance we are looking for. The smoke, fruit, oak and floral notes melt into each other, and a beautiful creamy texture allows melon, peach and cherry to come through before dwindling into the dry embers of peat in the hearth.

Character – Islay grown barley brings so much complexity to the character in this whisky. The peat smoke in this Port Charlotte is, as ever, beautifully evocative of that traditional Islay style. Purity from the distillation and complexity of maturation brings all the components together with harmony and balance

Port Charlotte launches new Islay Barley 2014 vintage

A new whisky from Port Charlotte has been released,

February 14, 2023

Port Charlotte has today (Tuesday 14 February) launched Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014, the latest vintage in its island provenance series.

Conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay, this single malt uses barley exclusively grown on the island from eight separate farms.

Located within 15 miles of the distillery, each local farmer undertook the risk of growing in challenging conditions to deliver the barley used for the 2014 vintage, resulting in a Port Charlotte single malt with total traceability and unparalleled provenance.

“Our Port Charlotte Islay Barley expressions encapsulate everything an Islay whisky can and should be, and the latest 2014 vintage is no different,” said Head Distiller, Adam Hannett.

“However, growing on Islay is no mean feat. Our location on Scotland’s rugged west coast and unpredictable weather, coupled with grazing wild geese and deer, means a successful harvest is never a given. But it’s a risk worth taking.

“As well as adding complexity to the character of this single malt, using Islay grown barley goes beyond just the pursuit of flavour.

"This is a whisky which evokes a true sense of place, helps support Islay’s agricultural economy and celebrates our island community.”

From just one farmer in 2004, Bruichladdich Distillery now works with a total of 20 farming partners on Islay - with over 50% of the distillery’s barley grown on the remote Hebridean island.

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These farming partnerships not only help to develop new soil-improving practices and encourage crop diversification but support the integral agricultural community.

With a quiet complexity, Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014 showcases the delicate balance of fruit and smoke which the single malt is renowned for.

Bottled at 50% ABV and peated to 40 PPM, the maturation profile consists of 84% in first fill bourbon casks, 8% in second fill Virgin oak and 8% in second fill Bordeaux wine casks.

Port Charlotte Islay Barley

The team say that the tasting notes include: malty digestive biscuits and peat embers open on the nose, followed by sweet vanilla and notes of honey, toffee and Crème Brulee.

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On the palate, an initial citrus tang is counterbalanced with gentle peat smoke, moving into a medley of apricot, peach and ripe melon. With notes of stoned fruit and toasted oak, the finish is beautifully balanced with a lingering hint of Port Charlotte’s signature barbeque smoke.

Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014 is priced at £75 and available to purchase now via the Bruichladdich website or at selected specialist whisky retailers.

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PMC:01

$155

On the other side of Islay sits another near-unpronounceable distillery, Bruichladdich.

We’ll give you a hand: “Brook-laddie.’ Here, provenance is everything. Every cask is filled, aged, and bottled on the island. Bottles carry “recipe codes,” which break down the cask composition, where the grain was farmed, and the vintages of the spirit.

In hand, we have Port Charlotte, one of their heavily peated malts. The PMC:01 release sees classic, ex-bourbon matured malt re-racked for a second maturation in ex-Pomerol wine casks.

Pomerol—the smallest appellation in Bordeaux—is famed for earthy, plummy reds. We see that influence here—new leather on the nose and stewed fruits on the palate. A healthy dose of water draws out floral notes (honeysuckle?).

This really is a rather intricate dram, and one way more complex than most whiskies of this age.

One also struggles to believe that this is heavily peated; the Pomerol largely tames the smoke without drowning it out. Easily our favorite Islay bottling of the year

PORT CHARLOTTE

18 YEAR OLD

It’s time to share our oldest Port Charlotte expression to date.

Named after the eponymous village two miles south of Bruichladdich Distillery, Port Charlotte Islay single malt Scotch whisky was first distilled in 2001. Laid down by the founders who resurrected our Hebridean distillery, it is the epitome of everything an Islay whisky can – and should – be, with every single drop of the heavily peated spirit distilled, matured and bottled exclusively on our island.

Today, we are proud to introduce our first Port Charlotte 18 Year Old. The oldest expression of Port Charlotte single malt Scotch whisky to be released to date, this 18 year old marks a pivotal moment in our distillery story.

This is a single malt Scotch whisky which celebrates a place and its people. It has quietly come of age while our Islay community has grown and evolved. Heavily peated, high provenance and profoundly shaped by its island home. It pays homage to our past while looking ahead to the future.

A whisky which is Islay born and raised. Now ready to share with the world.

A combination of refill sherry casks (74%) and refill French oak wine casks (26%) bring dried fruit, sweetness and layered wood spice. Waves of burnt heather and cinder toffee are immediate on the nose, with peat infused scones, smoked popcorn and salted caramel settling on the palate. With a rounded finish, wrapped in Port Charlotte’s signature peat smoke, a hint of nutty salinity nods to the spirit’s all Islay maturation.

Bottled at 53.4% and malted to 40PPM, this Port Charlotte 18 Year Old is a rare and limited release, only available from bruichladdich.com and select retailers.

PHILOSOPHYBRUICHLADDICHPORT CHARLOTTEOCTOMOREPROJECTSNEWSTOURSSHOP

PORT CHARLOTTE RISING

DISTILLERY MAKING WHISKY

Following the release of Port Charlotte's very first 18 year old single malt, we reflect on the journey of our heavily-peated Islay whiskies.

Picture the 1990s: Islay is facing depopulation, especially among the young. Port Charlotte Hotel had been up for sale. Other distilleries are derelict. Bruichladdich Distillery, that for 100 years had been the centre of employment and activity in the village it spawned, is dormant. The gates are locked. The only sounds in the still house are from the pigeons roosting in the rafters.

Bruichladdich was closed in 1994, followed by the village shop. Just two men were employed to guard the stocks which remained in our warehouses and withdraw the barrels as required by its mainland owners. They kept the roofs intact and the records in order, not knowing whether the place would have a future.

The turn of the millennium brought the stirrings of new energy, and rebellion, to Bruichladdich. Fifty small investors, led by entrepreneurs from the wine trade, managed to buy the distillery, making it one of the few independently owned distilleries of its time. The distillery’s former Engineer, Duncan MacGillivray from Port Charlotte, came back as Distillery Manager. His ability to mend and patch our Victorian equipment, recycle spare parts, and barter for what we didn’t have, was crucial. Charismatic Master Distiller, Jim McEwan, also a football coach on the island, brought in blending and distilling expertise, and was keen to create opportunities for young locals.

The team had fresh ideas, and set course to explore what Islay actually tasted like; could it become a terroir for whisky, as there were terroirs for wine? They started to explore whether the island’s predominantly livestock farms could grow barley for malting. They bought the empty warehouses of the former distillery at Port Charlotte so that the maturing spirit could all be kept on Islay and managed in-house. They wanted to invest in a way that would keep jobs on the island, and decided in 2002 to build the means of bottling everything on site, using local spring water. This went way further than what is legally required to label a whisky “Islay single malt”. Port Charlotte was the first spirit we made in these heady, D-I-Y days.

Besides the flavours coming from the casks and the distillation, there’s always a hint of salt, of minerality, in our whisky which is a hallmark of its all-Islay maturation. The unique island locale has had a profound influence on the Port Charlotte 18 Year Old – it’s a long time to be sitting yards from the sea in a drafty stone building! The smooth, beautifully-rounded finish you get with age, in which the elegant peat smoke lingers, is made more vibrant by what Adam describes as its “nutty salinity”.

“A whisky dedicated to our island, our community, and people. So much has evolved and changed on our island while these casks have been quietly maturing in our warehouses. This 18 Year Old pays homage to our past while looking ahead to the future.”

ADAM HANNETT, HEAD DISTILLER

Our experiments with casks began early. Those connections with the wine trade gave us access to some of the greatest appellations in France, and contacts in Spain’s sherry triangle and in Italy, wood that had never been tried for the maturation of whisky.

“I was like a kid in a candy store,” says Jim. “I had worked with sherry casks, I knew what they did. But nobody was using wine casks. The fruit notes and colours we were getting were just incredible.” Layering such high quality wood’s tannins and spices with the poignant smoke of Port Charlotte, plus the delicate florals and barley fruits of our stills, and you had the recipe for something very interesting in Port Charlotte.

Our now Head Distiller, Adam Hannett, Jim’s successor, has used 74% second fill Sherry casks, 26% second fill French Oak wine casks to create the first 18 Year Old expression 18 Year Old expression, which is partly what makes it so complex and gentle. Port Charlotte is such a good vehicle for exploring new dimensions within the peated whisky category that Adam has also devised a dedicated Cask Exploration Series, now on its sixth iteration and counting.

In our on-site warehouses, as of February 2024, we have over 100,000, casks, of more than 260 varieties. An estimated 75% are wine casks, dessert wines or sherries. We acquire new cask types all the time, and intelligently rework the spirit we have, as we watch it all maturing on Islay.

The careful marriage of sherry and wine casks in the Port Charlotte 18 Year Old tells in the wood spice and sweetness on the palate, as well as in the fig, sweet sultanas, and raisins which open on the nose. The distillery had in recent memory only been used to create unpeated whisky, mostly for blends. Bruichladdich wasn’t associated with the smoky flavours of Islay; our tall, narrow-necked stills produce elegant, floral, light spirit.

It was with some emotion that the team quietly gathered to watch the stills running again on the morning of 29th May 2001, the first of our Fèis Ìle open days. It was the heavily-peated Port Charlotte they were watching pour off Bruichladdich’s renownedly floral stills, turning things on their head from the outset.

In 1962, our own kilns, which were possibly connected with the distillery’s own peat bank, were removed, leaving a mythology around whether there had been any peat in pre-1960s Bruichladdich whiskies. Regardless, Port Charlotte’s peating level was set to the 40 PPM so characteristic of the Islay style, so we were about to find out what the modern reincarnation tasted like.

Master Distiller at the time, Jim, still felt he had a point to prove, five years after that first spirit run, even with all the Islay-centric investment that had shown the establishment a new way to interpret what an Islay whisky could and should be. “It was so good when we brought out PC5 because all the people who said Bruichladdich is not a true Islay, because it’s not peated… Right, I said, try this! And it was just spectacular. The stills at Bruichladdich are so beautiful. Then the world started to take notice.” The PC5 “Evolution” was a small release, like the 18 Year Old, just 6,000 bottles, but it was a big milestone for us as an independent, Islay-centric company.

The depth of flavour potential created by our wood policy allows for constant evolution. Adam is still finding just how much a multi-layered, versatile spirit like Port Charlotte can be refashioned and reinvented through maturation.

"What you’ll find with Port Charlotte, 40 PPM - heavily peated whisky - the peat smoke is always held in check by the balance of the whisky, so the other flavours come through.

French oak, depending on the toast, is really, really expressive and gives us different flavour profiles than American oak, which is maybe more traditional. So, a really interesting ingredient to work with.”

ADAM HANNETT, HEAD DISTILLER

In Islay terms, the Port Charlotte is still a New Kid on the Block. The release of the 18 Year Old marks how it’s becoming more well-established, even while it advances the fresh script on the range and subtlety of flavours people can expect within the heavily peated profile of an Islay single malt.

“Port Charlotte is still a young spirit,” says Adam, “We’re still watching it develop, wondering what it’s going to be like as a 30 year old...” You’re welcome to stay tuned.

PORT

CHARLOTTE

ROCK‘NDAAL

03.2

£226.88 54% ALC./VOL.

This exceptionally rare, one-off exclusive is bottled at 54% ABV and has spent its entire maturation life on Islay in a combination of bourbon casks (70%) and first fill Sauternes casks (30%). Ripe stoned fruits, sweet peach, and crème brulee with Port Charlotte’s signature peat smoke on the finish.

NO. OF BOTTLES RELEASED: 1,500

Pre-orders open on Monday 13th May, and will be despatched on 5th June.