Whisky : Port Charlotte 13 Year ‘Bourbon/Virgin Oak Cask 2004’ (Distillery Valinch)

Country/Region : Islay

ABV : 55.1%

Cask : 3Y Ex-Bourbon/10Y 2nd Fill Virgin Oak

Nose : A country kitchen— pickled tomatoes, dried meats, old wooden floors, and very little ventilation.  We are still on the farm, but not in the barn or pastures.  Old dried papers, faint cat urine, and seasoned cast iron.  The wife called it two day old burning paste.

Palate : Medium bodied with a slight oiliness, the dram is overall very restrained and the flavor profile is quite mellow.  Apple cider, orange blossom oil, linseed oil, and wet paint give the dram some fruity highs and some slightly chemical/sharpe lows.  Vanilla and faint florals come through in the middle, but gradually move toward decayed plant matter.

Finish :  Medium length though the punch of the finish fades quickly leaving behind a mild astringency and faint smoke.

Score : 3

Mental Image : Stuffy summer evening in a country kitchen.

Something Better : Port Charlotte 13 Year; R&BT (similar paint/art studio, more earthy, longer finish)

Something Better : Bowmore 21 Year; Hunter Laing’s OMC (similar paint, more tropical fruit/BBQ)

Something Similar : Westland Peated American Single Malt (similar burnt paste, more complex/spice)

Notes :  Easily my least favorite Port Charlotte, it was just far too light with not a lot going on.  There were no bold flavors to latch onto— everything was so muted, from the barnyard funk to the peat to the fruit— nothing really came along to give the dram character.  It is a fine scotch to sip on when you just need something to absentmindedly have at the end of the day.  Yet even then I am not sure I would grab this— especially not if we are factoring in the price paid for the distillery valinch.

I suspect the emotion of pouring this from the cask myself on Islay would change my tune a bit rather than just borrowing a dram from a friend.  If there were some larger memory that wrapped around this bottle, I bet I would love it— even if it is not the most exciting Port Charlotte.  As is, I was lucky to try this dram thanks to a friend but my experience was devoid of the emotions and memories of travel.  I do not think there is anything wrong when memories or the uniqueness of a moment affect our perception of whisky— we cannot really ever think objectively about how good a whisky can be— that just is not reflective of how we experience the world.  So I wish I could connect with this bottle, but since I could not, it fell a bit flat.  It is possible this is way better than I have concluded— my, admittedly high, expectations for Port Charlotte were just not matched this time.