Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Islay Barley

Bruichladdich was built by Barnett Harvey in 1881. Five years later, the Bruichladdich Distillery Company was founded and renovation and refurbishment commenced. The "Laddie", as it is affectionately known, is often considered to be the fruitiest, most inventive Islay malt and, indeed, there has been some contention as to whether it has truly attained Islay-status. Bruichladdich countered this with the introduction of the Port Charlotte range and later with the 2008-released Octomore, the world's most heavily peated whisky with a phenol content of 131ppm. Then the distillery went almost the complete opposite direction and created The Botanist Gin!

The gentle character of the spirit is attributed by some to the milder weather conditions at Bruichladdich's locality, sheltered, as it is, from Mother Nature by the Rhinns, the rugged Islay mountain range. Following the death of the then owner, Barnett's son William Harvey IV in 1936, the distillery was run by Kenneth Harvey and sold a year later to Joseph Hobbs for the sum of £23,000. Silent for the latter part of the Second World War, Bruichladdich closed its in-house maltings in 1961, bringing malt in from the Islay maltings at Port Ellen. Enjoying good fortunes, further stills were added in 1975 to grapple increasing demand.

Blenders Whyte and Mackay acquired the distillery under Invergordon Distillers in 1993. Just two years later, production ceased and in 2000 the distillery was purchased by Murray McDavid for £6.5m. The former Bowmore manager, Jim McEwan was brought in as Production Director, and in July of 2001 distillation began once more. Today the range is vast; many cask finishes, or 'ACE'd (additional cask enhancement) whiskies, have been released as well as the formerly mentioned peated offerings and, following a few successful years, the "Laddie's" future looks promising.

Port Charlotte Islay Barley

Specs at a glance:

BARLEY PROVENANCE: 100% Islay Concerto and Propino barley
MALTING: Heavily Peated
DISTILLATION: Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest
AGE: 7 Aged Years
MATURATION PROFILE: 84% first fill bourbon casks, 8% second fill Virgin oak and 8% second fill wine casks
PHENOL LEVEL: 40 parts per million (PPM)
STRENGTH: 50% ABV
FARMS: Cruach, Craigens, Island, Dunlossit, Coull, Rockside, Sunderland and Mulindry Farms

Port Charlotte Islay Barley embodies everything an Islay whisky can and should be. As well as adding complexity and depth to this single malt, the Islay grown barley goes beyond just the pursuit of flavour - evoking a true sense of place.

Barley is sourched from eight farms; Cruach, Craigens, Island, Dunlossit, Coull, Rockside, Sunderland & Mulindry.

Located within 15 miles of the distillery, each of these eight local farming partners undertook the risk of growing in challenging conditions to deliver the barley used for this whisky.

Being located on Scotland’s rugged west coast, unpredictable weather, and grazing wild geese and deer means a successful harvest on Islay is never a given. But it’s a risk worth taking, resulting in a single malt with total traceability and unparalleled provenance.

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. With notes of malty digestive biscuits and peat paving the way for a sweet medley of apricot, peach and ripe melon, this 2014 release holds fruit and smoke in perfect balance.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Malty digestive biscuits and peat embers open on the nose, followed by sweet vanilla and notes of honey, toffee and Crème Brûlée. As the whisky breathes its fruity character comes to the fore, with lemon rind and peat smoke rising from the glass, moving to grapefruit, ripe melon, peach and crisp red apple. Port Charlotte’s signature maritime note is offset with a touch of wood spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, showcasing the depth and complexity of this single malt.

Palate: An initial citrus tang is followed by sweet ripe fruit and gentle peat smoke. A subtle marine character comes through, with this sandy minerality complemented with toasted oak. On a second sip, the balance of fruit and smoke is unmistaken, with a medley of apricot, peach and ripe melon delicately wrapped in charred heather and peat embers. The maturation in American bourbon barrels brings lightly toasted oak notes, with a hint of coconut, creamy marzipan and tobacco.

Finish: Soft stoned fruit and toasted oak sweetness leave a beautifully balanced finish, while a subtle, dry barbeque smoke lingers.