Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010

A distillery that previously left a poor impression, yet I still hope to enjoy it. This time, a secondary comparative tasting featuring "the Organic," "Islay Barley," and "Port Charlotte OLC:01." While this deviates from typical Bruichladdich releases, I aimed to find commonalities between standard bottlings and heavily peated ones, specifically if the signature Bruichladdich character is present in those peated expressions. For me, it isn't. I found the standard PC 10y unimpressive a few weeks back, so I wanted to assess its older sibling and the OLC Oloroso cask influence. Nose: Mild peat leads, followed by very fruity dark berries (blackberries, black currant, blueberries). It's intense, vibrant, smoothly sweet, with banana peel (that dry, bitter bite when chewed), spearmint, a hint of hard cheese rind, burnt apple, and even a touch of apple vinegar. The peat is clean, subtle, and delicious, not at all ashy or plasticky, though it intensifies over time. With water: Smoked fatty salmon topped with slightly burnt brown sugar and berry-apple jam, cherry juice. The nose improves significantly as the dram progresses. Palate: The 55% ABV provides a warm initial impact, then intensely sweet, fresh dry wood, and dominant peat. Later: Sour, tangy candy that was accidentally barbecued. Finish: Surprisingly brief and mild, sweet and oily with just a hint of peat smoke, which later becomes much stronger but not at all unpleasant. A truly enjoyable spirit. Well-balanced, not overly sweet yet rich. The peat complements it well, BUT I can't detect any core Bruichladdich character; it's entirely different. Islay? Yes. But distinctly unique.

I'm quite eager to even sample this, let alone review it. I've already enjoyed a few glasses! Smell - Preserves, charcuterie, peat, sweetness, fruit spread, earthy clay, and numerous fruity wine notes. Remarkable. Taste - While I know there's an intricate cask blend, the sherry cask is dominant! It overpowers fruity notes, blending with smoked meat and roasted cream, if that's comprehensible. So much initial sweetness, nearly excessive, then immediately balanced by oak and earthy smoke, followed by intense smoked meat and pure charcoal smoke. Overall, this whisky exhibits an absurdly good balance. It defies logic; it's all over the place, and I suspect a lack of age to soften it all is the reason. That said, it's also incredible, haha. I suppose this explains its experimental nature. It's not a finished product or well-constructed, but rather a flavor explosion offering a lot without anything being unpleasant. I'm giving it a 3.0 for now. I genuinely enjoy it, but I believe my rating reflects its perplexing nature as a premium whisky. I also think I would repurchase this at $130, and at that price point, it would need a higher score for me to buy it again... so perhaps I'm mistaken? Anyway, this is my third whisky review today, and honestly, all three were very challenging for me. This one might be the most, which is a significant statement. However, this is easily my favorite, but ratings are about more than just personal enjoyment. Edit Revisiting, this is absolutely a 3.75 stunner!

As a big admirer of the Bruichladdich distillery, it's always challenging to offer an unbiased review. However, this is likely the lowest rating I've ever given a spirit from Bruichladdich. On the nose, I struggled to detect much Oloroso sweetness, but perhaps adding a splash of water (which I didn't do) might alter that. I'll provide an update if I do. Once the earthy smoke, which is quite present, dissipates, you encounter abundant nuts, possibly some subtle fruit notes, and a very deep earthiness. Upon swallowing, it's a 9-year-old cask strength, so it will have a bite without water, but the warmth is surprisingly short-lived. The campfire notes are strong initially, which I appreciate, and as it goes down, there's again nuttiness with a slight touch of sweetness and creaminess. Personally, I believe if they had left this in the Oloroso hogshead for another year, it would have been a winner, and a price increase would have been justified. All the cask influence is intriguing, but I don't perceive enough fruit to indicate it absorbed sufficient flavor. Overall, it's an enjoyable spirit for winter, but I might need to try it with water to see if I can achieve a significant difference.

(Event Name – Virtual Tasting, Date). Smell: Light peat, orchard fruits, berry preserves, damp hay, maple syrup Taste: Rich, viscous, aromatic smoke (Applewood), fruity/jammy with some nutty/oak notes. Finish: Black pepper, slightly drying. Salt and citrus notes, with a lovely dried fruit on the finish. Age/Cask Info. This has a delightful jammy/peaty finish. There's a wonderful sweet fruit note that emerges through the fragrant peat smoke. Excellent!

Fruity sweetness with orange, tangy lemon zest, and berry; high effervescence, 3.25 Oaky, orange, citrus zest, lemon peels, sourness, nice balance/similar to lemon zest, thick oily complexity, oaky woody finish – I could rate this highly, but due to the woody tannin, I'll lower it to 2.25 Oaky woody finish, light peat, 2 Sweet, tangy orange, mandarin, effervescence, high; fruity citrus vanilla, 3 Acidic, spicy, orange, fruity, unusual, strong spice and effervescence, 1 Bitterness, oak, 2 2

A truly beautiful whisky; it's surpassing the Octomore 12.2 I'm drinking concurrently. Shoe polish, oat, and charcoal on the nose transition to passion fruit, pepper, grape, and smoke in the mouth. It's complex, well-balanced, and has an exceptionally long finish.