Whisky : Port Charlotte 16 Year Fèis Ìle 2020

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 55.8%

Cask : First Fill/Refill Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Ex-Sherry

Age : 16 Years (Distilled 2003, Bottled 2020)

Nose : Sweet summer in the barnyard.  Floral notes of thistle, plumeria, and decaying swamp matter along with meaty beef jerky and tangy dried citrus rinds.  Sweet earthiness builds beautifully into earthen ovens, dried sod, wet clay, and new car leather.

Palate : Thick meaty spirit opens with creamy citrus and lychee before turning toward earthy smoke.  Grilled tropical fruits in a tidal swamp, decayed vegetation, burning corn husks, and freshly applied manure fertilizer.  Sweeter notes come in the middle with vanilla extract, cola, and black sugar.  On the end were blackened herbs and fatty barbecued meats.

Finish :  Lingering sweet char and caramelized fruits 

Score : 8

Mental Image : Raccoon Swamp BBQ

Something Better : Port Charlotte 13Y R&BT (earthier with more decay & manure, similar bbq)

Something Similar : Glenturret 18Y SMWS 16.39 (similar tropical fruit/barnyard, more floral/custard)

Something Worse : Douglas Laing’s Rock Oyster 18Y (similar swamp/salt/herb, less intensity)

Notes : I might be going a bit crazy with my mental images, maybe its the SMWS titles bleeding into my brain, but I could not help imagining tiny Racoons throwing a BBQ in a swamp with whatever fruit and meat they could scrounge in the trash.  While this was not the farmiest or swampiest Port Charlotte I have had, it definitely had some of those funky vibes.

This bottle was released for a virtual Fèis Ìle celebration— it was not actually planned for the festival at all, but with everything cancelled this summer, Bruichladdich called their shot and put this out as a web-store special.  It is the oldest Port Charlotte release they have released, I am not aware of any single cask valinch at the distillery shop that have been older.

This was a delicious melange of different cask influences and intriguing barnyard notes.  I really enjoyed the contrast between herbal, fruit, and funk barnyard notes.  This had hints of some of the earthy elements that I have really enjoyed in some single cask Port Charlottes, but not really found in a lot of the OB products.  While this was the oldest Port Charlotte, it left me with a firm impression that I prefer the spirit a bit younger.  This was wonderful, but it was more restrained and I felt like some of the casks muddled the overall profile just a little bit.  Take that criticism for what its worth (not much), the whisky was delicious.