Port Charlotte 12 Year; Alexander Murray Bruichladdich 2005
Whisky : Port Charlotte 12 Year; Alexander Murray Bruichladdich 2005
Country/Region : Scotland/Islay
ABV : 56%
Cask : Ex-Bourbon
Age : 12 Years (Distilled 2005, Bottled Dec. 19, 2017)
Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home
Nose : Sourdough bread and crisp pizza crust. There are floral roses and earthy manure that hint at the barnyard funk usually more prevalent in Bruichladdich’s unpeated expressions. Notable menthol and clovers hang in the background along with the creamy funk of a fresh cheese. Pizza in a barnyard anyone?
Palate : Earthy clay and floral rose petals are carried on a medium body. Faint mineral smoke or light roasted coffee give an acidic twang and lightness to the dram. Floral orange or cherry tree blossoms along with some muted spice appear occasionally.
Finish : Medium length with spicy white pepper and subtle smoke.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Clay pot roasted pork and rice seasoned with an ample amount of sinus clearing white pepper.
Something Better : Port Charlotte 13 Year Rest & Be Thankful (greater earthiness, more manure, less floral)
Something Similar : Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 (faint funk, more salt, more fruit than floral)
Something Worse : Highland Park 12 Year (similar light roasted coffee & twang, more iodine, more vanilla)
Notes : I get some of the sourdough bread that Alexander Murray has in their own tasting notes, though more strongly on the nose than the actual palate. This is a light and twangy combination of subtle earthy peat and fresh florals. It has some of the barnyard funk of a typical Bruichladdich and aside from the occasional notes of smoke and earthiness, this dram reminds me more of the Classic Laddie than it does any of the current Port Charlotte distillery expressions.
It is a solid pick up for any fan of Port Charlotte and is priced extremely competitively compared to independently bottled single cask Port Charlottes. This ‘small batch’ Port Charlotte has a unique and enjoyable flavor profile.
Bruichladdich began distilling heavily peated malted barley for their Port Charlotte expressions on May 28, 2001. It is hard to believe Port Charlotte would still not old enough to drink itself in the United States. The Port Charlotte of the early years, when the distillery still regularly sold casks to brokers, individuals, and independent bottlers, provides a vast rainbow of different flavors that range from earthy, smokey, floral, fruity, funky, salty. I tend to imagine the single cask Port Charlottes as wild untamed lions and the standard distillery releases as purring house cats. One is unpredictable, the other safe and comfortable. Either can be great depending on what you are in the mood for.
In this outturn from Alexander Murray a handful of casks from the early years of Port Charlotte have been vatted together and bottled at their natural strength. If the name Alexander Murray rings a bell, it is likely due to their position as the independent bottler for Costco’s ‘bespoke’ Kirkland Signature range. In that capacity, Alexander Murray almost exclusively bottles scotch without naming the distillery, a practice that, according to Lipp, Costco requires. Costco would prefer consumers focus on the Kirkland Signature brand and buy products because they have faith in the quality that the Kirkland brand represents. However, Alexander Murray bottles more than just scotch for Kirkland and when they bottle things for themselves they are at greater liberty to name the distillery from whom they sourced their whisky.
Distilled in 2005, left in refill ex-bourbon barrels to rest, the provenance of the casks between distiller to bottler is uncertain. It is possible that Steven Lipp, the founder of Alexander Murray, acquired these casks shortly after he started the company in 2004. Lipp was already familiar with the spirits industry after working for independent bottler Duncan Taylor and therefore perhaps well positioned to make strategic cask investments. Or, perhaps they were acquired through a broker at some other point during their maturation. Either way, whoever selected the casks for this vatting did a wonderful job achieving a rich flavor profile at an extremely attractive (and affordable) price compared to other independently bottled Port Charlottes.
