Port Charlotte MC:01 2009

Nose - Mild peppery smoke, ocean mist, sugary nuts, sweet cream, apricots, delicate stone fruits, salted caramel, faintly floral (with water). Less fruit and floral notes, more salted caramel. Taste - Mild peppery smoke, salted caramel, spicy warmth, ocean mist, dried apricots without intense sweetness, light bitter stone fruit pith (with water). Reduced warmth, bitterness is much lower, otherwise unchanged. Finish - Lasting fruity salted caramels, bitterness increases, ocean mist, and black pepper cheese (with water). Less bitter but otherwise the same. Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - The aroma is definitely the highlight here, presenting classic sweet peat and a lactic tang. The Marsala cask adds fantastic stone fruit and salted caramel notes, but the bitterness becomes somewhat bothersome. It also feels a little too strong for its alcohol content. It's noticeable enough to make you consider adding water. Water does lessen the peppery burn but also dulls the scent considerably. It's quite decent overall, but I wouldn't refuse a serving if it was provided. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Not another NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose: sweet like a ripe fruit. Perhaps peaches and cream. There is a whiff of tobacco, this is heavily peated after all. Palate: big juicy cherry, with a dash of toffee. The peat flows along the whole time at a pleasant pace. Finish: sweet and peaty. Long finish that lingers in the back of your throat. Overall: perfect dram.

Nose: Toasted malt, clove, vanilla, smoke Palate: Oaky vanilla, cooked pear, cinnamon Finish: Salted butter, baked apple, hint of pepper, clove This has a touch of funk on the palate that I typically only detect in unpeated Bruichladdich whiskies. It introduces a unique dimension that I truly enjoy. 8/10

Opened on 10-1-2020, tasted on 5-19-2021 after 32 weeks. At 112.6 proof, the last ounce saved in a small sample bottle is still absolutely delicious. I will compare this "Cask Exploration Series" to my first Octomore bottle when I open it. A truly great peated whisky!

citrus, pear, fruity, high pep, smokey (light camp fire), thick complexity 2.5 thickness complexity, wood, citrus zinc, dense, sharp sourness, thick campfire 3 long sustained smoke 3

Odd pour, the marsala is either overpowering or barely there at times. It gets saltier with water. It's so thick you could almost spoon it up.